Family Gathering
by PTBvisiongrrl
Summary: Stephanie has another stalker, this one with an interest in magic. She asked Ranger for help, and he feels the need to turn to his family. This is just a beginning; Rating may change.
1. Default Chapter

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Family Gathering

By PTBvisiongrrl

Rating: PG-13 for now (who knows where it will go?)

SPOILERS: none, really

WARNING: No Joe in sight right now

Standard disclaimer: I own nothing, only borrow, play with, and return. Except for Ranger. I'm never giving him back.

Chapter One

Ranger looked at the pictures again and cursed. The break-in at Steph's apartment had been a precise strike. The intruder hadn't taken anything, hadn't moved any item unnecessarily. The only missing items, which had taken Steph over a day to realize, were her hairbrush and a photo. But the intruder had left a present- a dead chicken in Steph's bed, with a bag of small beads and bones wrapped around its neck.

Ranger had not been there when Steph had discovered the break-in; if he had, he would have recognized immediately what was going on. The police- and Steph- were convinced that her notoriety (she had made the paper again last week, when another of her cars blew up outside Giovinicchi's) had attracted some new nut job's attention. A real psycho, they thought, based on the chicken carcass. Ranger, though, knew ritual magic when he saw it.

It was, after all, in his blood.

If only it were that simple, Ranger reflected, glancing back at the photographs again and then at Stephanie. How was he going to explain to her the truth of the situation? She'd never believe him. Hell, he hardly believed it, and he'd lived through enough to know that it was the truth. How to approach her?

Hey, Steph, there really are things that go bump in the night, and one of them wants you?

"Well, Ranger?" Steph asked. She crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame to wait for an answer.

Shit. "Do you trust me? Really trust me?" he asked her.

Puzzlement flooded her face. "Of course."

He took a deep breath. "We need to go see someone." The two sides of his life, so carefully kept secret, were about to collide. He reached for her hand and pulled her toward the door.

The small house was clean and well kept, which made it stand out from its surroundings. Steph had never been to this part of Trenton before, although Ranger seemed very familiar with it. He didn't even stop to knock on the door, just opened it and walked right in. Steph followed a bit more slowly, pausing in the living room as Ranger continued through another door.

Steph was momentarily taken aback, until she took a closer look at some photos on an end table. Unmistakable, despite the eighties hair, was Ranger in a high school graduation picture. Walking right into the house suddenly made a lot more sense, and Steph got excited. This wasn't the Batcave, but she'd bet anything that this was going to be almost as good.

Ranger emerged from what Steph assumed was a kitchen, judging from the brief glimpse she got through the swinging door. He was leading a small old lady behind him and a middle aged woman followed them both. He stopped in front of Steph and introduced them. "Mama, Abuelita, es Stephanie Plum. Steph, this is my mother, Isabel, and grandmother, Rosa."

Steph's jaw dropped, but she recovered her manners quickly, wanting to make a good impression. "It's very nice to meet both of you."

Ranger's mother smiled. "We've wanted to meet you for some time, Stephanie. Ric's talked about you for a very long time."

Steph's eyes got wider, and Ranger mentally cringed.

Ranger began to question the intelligence of this choice the minute the words of his mother's greeting left her lips. Steph's shock at being introduced to his double life tonight might pale in comparison to her shock at knowing that Ranger had told his mother about her. Ranger spoke in rapid Spanish to his mother, hoping Steph wouldn't catch any of it. "Ma! Why did you say that? She's got enough to deal with right now."

Ranger's mom shot him a look that Steph could understand, even if she didn't speak Spanish. Then his grandmother coughed, interrupting her daughter's dirty look . "Yes, dear, we've heard a great deal about you."

Ranger decided to cut this off here and now. "Steph, do you know what obeah is?"

A blank look met his gaze. Okay, maybe this was going to be harder than he thought. "Steph, it wasn't just any crazy that broke into your apartment. The things that he or she left- they are part of a ritual magic, a spell to cause you harm." He waited for her to respond.

Steph looked at him like he had three heads, and- given the risk-assessing, practical soldier he usually showed her- he couldn't blame her. "What are you talking about? You aren't serious, are you?"

Ranger looked toward his grandmother for help. "There are those who believe that magic exists. Even if you don't agree, that belief gives them power and can make them dangerous."

The look directed at his abuela was slightly more circumspect than the one he himself had been given, but still full of disbelief. Stephanie let the old woman continue, but she looked as if she would get up and run away at any moment.

"Ricardo brought you here because I am one of those who believes in magic. I am a bruja, a witch. I work to protect others, to use my power for good. Not all practitioners are so ethical; your burglar is one of the dark ones." Abuela settled next to Stephanie on the sofa, and Ranger took the other side of her. "Ricardo recognized the items that were stolen from you and the- well, what was left- and he called us."

Steph shook her head. "Ranger called you about my break-in?"

Ranger chose to speak up before Steph bolted. He could feel the fear and concern emanating from her. "This guy believes in this, even if you don't. We're using his beliefs against him."

Steph obviously considered his words. "So you brought me here for what? You could have told me this at your place. And I can't believe you just wanted me to meet your family."

The corner of Ranger's mother's mouth started to quirk up. Ranger headed it off. "If this guy is stalking you, I wanted him to realize that we know what he's up to. Abuela is well known, in certain circles, so he might back off for a while if he thinks she's taken you under her protection."

"Protection?"

Mama Isabel chuckled. "Trust my son to be so obtuse. You're here to receive a ritual blessing, in the hopes of buying enough time to find the dark one before he does you true harm."

Steph's panic began to bubble over. "I'm Catholic. I can't do this."

Ranger snorted. "And the last time you were in church? C'mon, Steph."

"Okay, I'm just creeped out," she admitted. She shifted in her seat. "This isn't a side of you I've ever seen, Ranger. Hell, never even suspected."

Ranger's resemblance to his mother became more pronounced when her eyebrow quirked up at that comment. "There is a lot you need to tell this woman about your life, Ricky. No wonder she kept going back to the cop."

Steph's mouth dropped and Ranger merely closed his eyes to count silently to ten. "Steph, will you allow Abuelita to bless you?"

"What's involved?" Steph managed to ask.

Abuelita jumped in and answered. "Not much. You just need to sit there and let me burn some incense around you as I pray. It will work better if you work up some belief in the ritual."

Ranger reached behind Steph and placed a hand on her neck, kneading tense muscles. "But you don't have to believe in it."

"Do you?" Steph asked him in a low voice.

Ranger gritted his teeth. Things had been going so well until he had seen those damn pictures this morning. "Yes."

"Okay," she answered in a small voice, meeting Abuelita Rosa's firm gaze.

Chapter Two

The ceremony was very brief, involving some quiet chanting in Spanish, which Ranger's mother translated for Stephanie, some candles, and a little incense. When she was finished, Abuelita Rosa closed her eyes and laid her hands on the top of Stephanie's head. "Go in peace and safety, mija."

Stephanie slowly rose and looked at Ranger for direction. He gave his grandmother a quick hug and his mother a peck on the cheek. "Gracias, Mama, Abuelita." Both women nodded at him, then turned their attention toward Steph.

She felt a bit awkward; she wasn't a touchy feely kind of girl, so she hoped they would not be offended at a finger wave instead of a hug. They seemed fine with it, and walked her and Ranger to the door, standing silently shoulder-to-shoulder behind the screen, a slightly duskier vision of her own mother and grandmother in their usual position when she left dinner.

Stephanie was very quiet during the blessing ceremony and leave-taking from the Manosos. Ranger assumed she was still in shock, because the Steph he knew would have been all over his mother and grandmother with questions. Instead, she stared straight ahead, absolutely silent. He spared her many side ways glances, never noting a change in her facial expression. So Ranger gave her time to process, until he pulled into the Haywood Street garage. Steph didn't even look up or realize where they were until Ranger said, "Stephanie?" softly a second time.

"Huh?" she mumbled, blinking slowly. "What? Where are we?"

Ranger grabbed her hand and rubbed at it absent-mindedly. "Babe, we're at the Rangeman office."

"Why are we here?" she asked.

Despite all the new information about him revealed today, he still didn't want to have to explain this. He didn't think that she was going to go for this plan, so he tried for misdirection and simplicity. "I'd appreciate it if you would stay here, until I can do a little more investigation into your burglar."

Steph's eyes widened at the request. It was unusual for Ranger to give her a choice, implied or real, in situations like this- and she swore that that had sounded like a request instead of an order. Still, she shook her head. "Not that I don't appreciate the concern, but I want to be in my own apartment." Close quarters with Ranger, for any reason, was not the best of ideas. She had decided, following the Slayer incident, that while she and Morelli were a disaster as a couple, she and "My-life-doesn't-lend-itself-to-relationships" Ranger would be worse than a cataclysm.

Ranger blew out a breath. He should have expected this, he knew, but he had hoped. "Steph, I know you do, but I don't think that it's safe right now. Can't you just give me a little bit of time to check things out?"

That _look_- stubborn and difficult- spread across her face. "It's not any more dangerous than usual. Can't you just put a man on me?"

"No," Ranger said, regretfully. "A man on you isn't going to solve this problem. It's not just your physical safety that I'm concerned about, Babe."

"What on earth are you taking about?" she asked, clearly confused.

Well, here goes. See if she was still talking to him after this, or thinking that he was simply insane. Even if she thought he had gone off the deep end and wanted nothing to do with him, he would find a way to keep an eye on her, magically if necessary. But magic was so impractical, when she could just be protected by convention means. Ranger started simply, "The Rangeman building, thanks to many different precautions, is secure against metaphysical as well as physical attacks."

"Huh?" she asked, still confused.

"Spells, magic, obeah, voodoo- whatever you want to call it." Ranger cringed at how he sounded to his own ears. "The building has protections against these things as well as stalkers. Spells won't pass these walls."

Stephanie looked dismissive. Despite her early agreement with the ceremony, she clearly still didn't believe in the things that Ranger himself did. "You really believe in this stuff, huh?"

Ranger nodded. "It's the way I was raised, and what I've seen in the world."

There were several minutes of silence as Steph considered his words before she answered him. "I can see why you might have kept this to yourself," Steph stated. "I'm not sure that I can believe in this stuff."

Ranger reached over her, unhooking her safety belt and opening her door. "I believe enough for the both of us, Babe."

Steph considered his words as he patiently waited for her to exit the vehicle. She gave up the fight rather easily, all things considered. Ranger should have suspected ulterior motives, but he was so relieved that he didn't. "So- am I kicking someone out of their apartment, or staying with you?"

Ranger swallowed his gut reaction- _with me_- and gave Steph a choice. "There's an apartment on the fourth currently empty, if you want it, or you can stay with me." He paused for a beat. "I'll loan you my sheets and some Bulgari if you want."

Blushing, Steph got out and approached Ranger. The stress and revelations of the day were getting to her, and she felt particularly vulnerable. "Seventh, then," she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the elevator.

Chapter Three

Stephanie calmed a little on the elevator ride, but that probably had more to do with holding Ranger's hand than a sudden acceptance of magic. Ranger internally sighed; he had tried, for so long, to keep Steph out of his life and heart. Yes, he had protected her, taught her, helped her- but he always kept his distance. His abuela had told him months ago that she knew what he was doing, and that he was wrong. Ranger had ignored her, despite her insistence that if he and Stephanie were truly meant to be together, it would happen whether he wanted it to or not. Thinking over those words, he began to worry that by protecting her from his life, that he had actually put her at risk instead.

Abuela had a touch of the sight. Did she mean that, by keeping Steph at a distance that he had caused an incident like this- one where he couldn't hide what he was from her? And that if he had opened up to her, Steph would be safer now? The circular thoughts gave him a headache; it was one of the reasons he was glad that he was only a soldier in this battle, and didn't really get involved in the magic and its ramifications at all. He did what he was told, and tried not to think too hard about the metaphysical theory.

Sometime during his mental wandering, the elevator had opened to the seventh floor, and Stephanie was tugging on his arm. "Ranger," she questioned, her voice unsure. He had never lost track of his surroundings around her before.

"Sorry, Babe." He followed her, hitting the passkey on the way and automatically unlocking the door. "I was a little lost in thought."

Steph snorted. "You? Not aware? Throw it in with the magic, and I have to ask- who are you and what have you done with my Ranger?"

The words "my Ranger" made his heart skip a beat. If only, he spared a thought, she really meant that. "Babe, I have never lied to you, but-"

Rolling her eyes, Steph allowed Ranger to open the door for her and she walked past him. "You are the master of monosyllables. Do you mean to say that you haven't exactly- shared?"

"Yes, Babe. Lie of omission, then." Ranger tossed his keys to the sideboard and made his way to the intercom. Pressing six, he waited for Ella's voice before speaking. "Good evening, Ella. Dinner for two, and some kind of desert. Chocolate, I think."

Ella hid the surprise in her voice. 'Yes, Ranger. It will be ready in twenty minutes."

"Thank you." He disconnected, only to find Stephanie staring open mouthed at him. "What?" he asked a bit defensively.

"That was almost real phone manners. You actually ended the conversation!" She sounded shocked.

Ranger ignored her and proceeded to set the table, complete with wine glasses and a bottle. Motioning to a seat across for him, he waited until Stephanie sat down before doing so himself. He poured them both a half-glass of wine, sipped his, and then asked her an uncomfortable question. "If I'm so mysterious, and rude, and odd- why do you continue to associate with me, Babe?"

She paused a moment, and sipped her own wine. She considered her words. "I'm not sure. Despite all that- because, let's face it, you are cryptic and weird, and down right rude sometimes- there is still something that pulls me to you." She finished her statement with a long pull on the wine, and was rescued from any more pointed questions by the arrival of Ella.

"Stephanie!" Ella beamed. "How good to see you again, and much better than the last time."

Considering the last time Ella had seen her was the night of the Slayer incident, Steph certainly hoped that she looked better. "It's good to see you again, too. Ella."

Ella efficiently placed a few covered dishes in the center of the table, and a big chocolate frosted cake on the counter. "I just felt like baking today," she said in answer to Ranger's raised eyebrow at the desert. "Apparently, there was a reason." Ranger often wondered if his Aunt Ella didn't' have more than a tough of the sight as well.

The look in Stephanie's eyes at the sight of that cake made the effort worth it. Her nephew never appreciated her best work- her baking- but this girl, this girl was a joy to cook for. "If there's nothing else, Ranger, call when I can pick up the dishes."

The subtle dig from his aunt- she didn't want to just let herself in to retrieve the dishes and interrupt something- went uncommented on. "Okay," he answered a little grumpily. Steph shot him a look, but immediately begin to lift covered plates and sniff appreciatively. Ella gave her a smile on her way out.

"Ella likes you," Ranger commented wryly as Steph filled her plate.

"If that means I get chocolate cake, I'm glad." She began to eat, and- as usual- expressed her enthusiasm for food quite loudly. Ranger was thoroughly distracted from his own meal, which he left largely uneaten on his plate. Once a huge hunk of cake had been polished off- and his control stretched mightily thin- Steph noticed his apparent lack of appetite. "Aren't you hungry?"

Ranger pushed his plate away. "Not really," he said, folding his napkin and rising. He stumbled, suddenly light headed and faint. "Babe?" he asked, not really able to concentrate but noticing Steph was slumped in her chair. He had enough strength left to hit a 911 on the intercom system before blackness claimed him

Ranger woke up first, with Tank looming over him, gun in hand. "Ric?" Tank asked, lending Ranger a hand to pull himself up from the floor where he had landed.

Shaking his head, Ranger tried to clear it and remember how the hell he had ended up on the floor. When it hit him all at once, he whirled around and searched for Stephanie. Tank noticed his agitation, and clapped him on the shoulder. "Bombshell is in your bedroom. Lester put her in there; she's still unconscious."

"How long have I been out?" Ranger asked, suddenly unsure of the passage of time.

"About fifteen minutes since you hit the alarm." Tank crossed his arms and stared at Ric. "You should probably sit down and have some orange juice or something until you fully recover."

That comment clicked. "Recover? What the hell hit me and Steph?" He did, in fact, sit down. "This place is supposed to be safe from magic. What got through?"

Tank shook his massive head. "Don't know yet. Bobby thinks that the spell didn't actually get through- just sort of the aftershocks. You went out because the building protections are tied directly to you; Bombshell because it was directed right at her."

"Do we know this for a fact?" Ranger reached for a glass and headed toward the refrigerator for some orange juice. Magic usage and attack had effects a lot like low blood sugar; too extreme, and you could lapse into something like a diabetic coma. Something minor, and a quick shot of sugar would fix you up. The fact that Steph was still out worried him a little, which Tank immediately picked up on.

"Lester put her out for a bit, once he was sure that she was okay." Ranger's dark expression, indicating his disagreement, was headed off. "Lester thought that the best way to preserve a trace to the person casting the spell was to keep her calm. Which she was NOT, on her own." The inflection told Ranger that Steph was having some more acceptance problems, and Tank's next statement told him just how badly. "She insisted she was going to leave, and to hell with your crappy magical protection."

Ranger chuckled. That was Steph. If she was that ornery, she was okay. And he had a little time until she came to; Lester was good with subtle sleep spells. "I think we need to talk, the whole team, and I think I need my Abuela in on it, too."

"Shit," Tank whistled. "Breaking out the big guns. Bombshell must have majorly pissed someone off this time."

Ranger nodded. "Appears that way. Get the guys, and I'll call my grandmother. Twenty minutes, here."

Tank raised an eyebrow. Ranger answered the unspoken question. "I don't want to leave Steph alone."

Tank nodded, and left. Ranger lifted the phone and dialed with a heavy heart.


	2. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Stephanie felt like there was a marching band in her head, and all her limbs felt like cement. She slowly swam to consciousness, aware of the rumbling of deep male voices close by but unable to make out any words She listened closely for a few minutes before she gave up, turning on her side. Noting that she was in Ranger's bed, she allowed herself to drift back off.

The next time she came to, Ranger was in the bed with her, his arm around her and pulling her close. He sensed when she woke, and tentatively asked, "Babe?"

"I'm awake, Ranger," she said in a tired, wooden voice. "What the hell happened?"

His words did not comfort her. "There was magical attack on you. The protections on the buildings blocked most of the spells power, but not all. Then, Lester put a sleep spell on you so that Abuela could try and trace the caster, the one who made the spell."

"R-r-r-r-ight," Steph said slowly. "Are you still on that magic stuff?"

Ranger felt an arrow pierce his heart. After tonight's attack, his feelings for Stephanie were the least of his problems. If she thought he was as crazy after this as Morelli always insisted, it wouldn't matter as much as the fact that he had managed to protect her. It would still hurt, but she would be alive. Right now, coupled with his justified fear and worry, it just hurt. He stiffened at her tone and let her go. "Yes."

Steph sighed and rolled away from him. "There has to be some other explanation, Ranger. Magic doesn't exist."

Taking a deep breath and counting to ten, Ranger rose and began to put on his shoes, discarded by the side of the bed. "Yes, it does. If you trust me, just believe this."

His eyes- open, honest, and pleading- convinced her. "Okay, it was a magical attack. I thought magic couldn't get into the building."

"So did I," Ranger stated grimly. "Abuelita has some ideas. She said that she would discuss them over dinner. Tonight."

Steph felt her eye begin to twitch. "I'm going to dinner at your grandmother's?"

"Yes." Ranger headed off the melt down he sensed.

"Tonight? We were just eating dinner…" Steph let her voice trail off. "I slept that long?"

"Yes. But that was Lester's spell. You weren't injured in the attack."

The eye twitch began in earnest. "You let Lester put a SPELL on me? Without asking me for permission first?"

Ranger decided that it would probably be better NOT to mention that this wasn't the first time. "Uh, yes."

"For my own good?"

The volume and tone was not good for him, he could tell. He tried to redirect her. "Think of it as a business dinner."

"It can't be business if it's your grandmother."

"She's a security consultant for the company. Concentrate on that." Okay, probably not best to remind her of the magic angle and spells. Luckily, she was distracted by another problem.

"I still need clothes to wear, which I don't have unless you count what I've slept in." Steph crossed her arms and looked expectantly at him. "And I'm not wearing your clothes to dinner with your grandmother."

Picturing her in his clothes certainly distracted him for a moment. Then he recovered and indicated a duffle bag on the floor. "I had Tank pick up some of your clothes."

Steph eagerly grabbed the bag and started pawing through. Tank's idea of appropriate clothes and hers did not match. There were several sets of short skirts and barely there shirts, as well as FMPS, but no underwear and no jeans. "I can't wear these to your grandmother's. These are clothes for a distraction." She shot Ranger an evil, wondering look. "And did you tell him to forget my underwear?"

Ranger laughed. "No, Babe. He was probably afraid of your reaction to him going through your panty drawer. You'll just have to go commando."

"And I'd better not bend over in any of these skirts," Steph grumbled, gathering some things together and heading into the bathroom. Ranger distinctly heard the lock tumble and sighed to himself, heading out to the living room to distract himself from thoughts of her in the shower.

Stephanie locked the bathroom door behind her, not really sure if that would help if Ranger wanted in, but it made her feel a little better that there was one more barrier between her and her magical stalker.

Magic. Magic exists, its real, and Ranger is living in the middle of it. Steph turned this thought around and around in her head. Was this really any harder to accept than all the special forces crap that he couldn't talk about? Well, if she was honest and not idealistic, yes, it was. But this was something that Ranger had shared with her, albeit not entirely voluntarily, and Ranger rarely shared. And he never lied to her.

So, take a deep breath, Steph. Magic is real, exists, and you are screwed, because its after you.

Not so different from a normal stalker, really. Ranger was again protecting her and she felt confident that she could survive with his help. And his abuelita.

Getting into the shower, Steph started wondering about dinner tonight. It would be uncomfortable, at best. Sort of like dinner with her own family.

But worse.


	3. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Ranger and Stephanie left Rangeman with exactly fifteen minutes to get to dinner. Five minutes, Ranger informed Stephanie with a smile, could ruin a good arroz con pollo. She stuck her tongue out at him, not amused with his attempt at humor.

"Don't tease me, Babe," Ranger said, shooting her a look of liquid fire. Sometimes, he just couldn't seem to help himself.

Mama Rosa and Abuelita were friendly, hugging Stephanie hello and making her sit in the guest of honor spot at the end of the table. Dinner conversation was kept somewhat neutral; mostly it was questions about her family and her upbringing, things that Ranger would not necessarily have shared with his family, even if he'd known the information. Stephanie was almost through her large plate of rice and meat when Abuelita suddenly sat up ramrod straight and pronounced, "I've got it!"

"Huh?" Stephanie stuttered, with Ranger not much better.

Abuelita's eyes were sparkling. "I think I know why you are being stalked. Talking about your family, things just sort of- clicked."

The three other diners waited for her to finish in hushed silence, but she simply sat back and sipped her mango drink. Not normally patient, Steph couldn't hold out as long as Rosa and Ranger. "SO? Are you going to clue us in or what, Abuelita?"

Abuelita smiled at her. "I should have seen the resemblance sooner. Ah, well, I've seen it now, and that's all that matters." She stood up. "Flan, anyone?"

Ranger choked a little on his food then put his fork down. "Of course, Abuelita. I can never turn down your flan," he said in a contrite and obedient voice.

Stephanie shot him a surprised look, but she was still not deterred from her mission. "Hey, I asked a question!"

"Patient, little one," Abuelita smiled. "It's a long story, and I don't want to have to interrupt it for desert. Would you like to try some flan, Stephanie?"

Stephanie fought to control herself. Flan was obviously a dessert, but it was a dessert she'd never had before. And one that Ranger would pollute the temple of his body for, so it must be good. "Yes, please," she managed to get out in a half-civilized tone.

Returning with a large, flat platter with a creamy looking pie-like thingy on it, a cake cutter, and several small plates, Abuelita began cutting and passing She did not speak again until everyone had a full dessert plate and coffee cup in front of them. "Stephanie, you said your grandmother's name is Mazur?"

"Yes," Stephanie frowned, wondering how on earth Abuelita knew Grandma Mazur and wildly hoping it wasn't from the funeral parlor.

"This is your mother's mother?"

Ranger looked as clueless as she did, but Steph continued to answer the questions. "Yes."

"And your mother's name is Ellen? She's about 57 or 58 now?" Abuelita ate a spoonful of flan while she waiting for Steph to answer.

Steph was a little bit flabbergasted. There was a connection here, one she wasn't aware of, and her curiosity was eating her up from the inside. "You know my mother?"

"Yes, dear." Abuelita took another forkful. "I helped treat her for a- condition- when she was about fifteen."

Condition? Requiring treatment? _Abuelita's_ kind of treatment? This was the first that Stephanie had heard of this. "For what?"

Abuelita smiled again and chuckled. "Let's finish desert first."

Stephanie held back a frustrated groan, gulped down her desert in three bites, and left her fork on her plate. It took Ranger a few minutes to catch up, and Abuelita a few more than him. Looking expectantly, Steph waited as patiently as she could- foot tapping and squirming in her seat- and, as the last mouthful was swallowed, stated, "What was the condition you treated my mother for?"

"I need Ranger to explain a bit to you first, and then this will make more sense." Abuelita turned to Ranger. "Explain to her what a Slayer is, Ric."

Stephanie got a little jumpy, hearing "slayer," but Ranger surreptitiously shook his head. His ESP was going strong. Steph began to consider that maybe he really DID have it, then shook it out of her head. "Not that type of slayer, Babe. We're talking about a vampire slayer, one girl who is chosen from each generation to rid the world of vampires and other assorted demons. There is only ever one slayer at a time, and when she dies another is called."

"And?" Steph asked.

Ranger looked at her and continued. "She had super strength, reflexes, intuition, to make it possible to do her job."

"So she's a super hero?" Steph asked wryly. "Are you trying to tell me my mother is a secret super hero?" She couldn't hold back the laughter, as much as she tried. "And I thought belief in magic was crazy. This is just beyond bonzo now!"

Abuelita interjected, in a slightly annoyed voice, "Magic is crazy?"

Stephanie pulled herself together. "No, I guess not. But the picture in my head of my mother now…of, damn-" and she lost it again.

Abuelita shot her a deadly look, and Steph finally managed to get herself together. "Yes, Stephanie, your mother was a _potential_ slayer. There are many girls with the potential to become a slayer out there, but few are ever called. The slayer's special abilities, unless they are particularly strong, do not manifest themselves until the call. If there is no call, they slowly fade."

Stephanie wrinkled her forehead in question. "And my mother, then, was a potential slayer?"

"Yes," Abuelita smiled. "But she had particularly strong abilities, and a firm desire to be rid of them and be like every other girl. Your grandmother, recognizing what was going on, brought her to me."

Steph shot straight up in her chair, as did Ranger. "Grandma Mazur knows all about this stuff?"

Abuelita nodded. "Yes. Slayers tend to run in families. Your Hungarian family was also Gypsy, and practiced magic, which made the potential appear even more commonly than it otherwise would have."

Ranger felt the pieces slide into place. "Do you think that Stephanie was also a potential, and that is why she is being stalked? Because her abilities are still there?"

"Ranger!" Steph spit out. "That's ridiculous! If I was some super hero, do you really think that I would end up covered in food every time I pick up an FTA?"

"No, Steph," he said, getting excited. "This might make a lot sense. How many cars have you destroyed, and how many times were seriously injured by it?"

Steph slumped a little in her seat, considering. Ranger pushed on. "And your luck, and intuition. It all fits. The problem is that you've been using all these talents against humans, not demons. That's why it's been so difficult for you."

Abuelita nodded and smiled again before continuing. "There has been some recent trouble with Slayers, however. A great enemy, the First Evil, made it necessary for a spell to be cast that splintered Slayer power. Instead of one Slayer, all potentials were activated at once to fight the evil. It was the only way to save the world, at the time." Abuelita crossed her arms and paused. "There have been some unforeseen consequences from the spell. Although you have some of the Slayer power, you don't even know it, Stephanie, because you are so far past the age at which most girls are called. But someone smelled the power, and is trying to take it for his own now."

Ranger nodded. "So, we're up against a dark wizard."

Steph tried to sort out what Abuelita had laid out for them. "So it's just my dumb luck that I'm being stalked?"

There was a pause as Ranger considered his answer. "Yeah, Babe."

"Figures," Stephanie pouted. "I'm half-super hero with crappy luck." Then she perked up. "Hey, I'm a super hero!"


	4. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Stephanie was a little perkier now that she knew why she was being stalked. She was a super hero! Sort of. She'd always wanted to be an intergalactic princess or Wonder Woman, but this Vampire Slayer thingee might not be so bad. She was practically dancing in her seat the rest of the night, until Abuelita declared that she needed to think more about how to protect Steph, now that they knew what Steph was. Then Stephanie danced out to the car.

Ranger tried to bring her back to earth on the ride back to Rangeman. "Babe, you are a _potential_ Slayer, not an actual Slayer."

"Abuelita said that all potentials were activated," Steph pouted a little, still enthralled with the super hero idea.

"Yes, but I think your…age… is a bit more than most potentials. You don't really have all the slayer talents." Ranger tried to phrase it nicely, hoping that Steph wouldn't take offense.

"You're saying that I'm old!" Steph accused him,

"You are two months younger than me. You are not old." Ranger shook his head, hoping to avoid an age discussion. In his experience, that type of conversation never went well. "No, I'm saying that you are older than the average Slayer. You aren't sixteen." _Even if you act like it sometimes_, he mentally added.

"How do you know that I don't have Slayer powers?" Steph was suddenly curious to know more about Ranger. "Have you ever met a Slayer?"

Sticking to his zone, Ranger didn't answer for a minute. Then, with a long sigh, he spoke. "Yes, I've met a Slayer. I've seen her fight. Babe, you are NOT blessed with Slayer fighting skills."

Steph considered the best way to approach this, how to get the most information out of Ranger before his usual detail-shutdown. "When?"

Hitting a turn signal, Ranger sighed again. "Can we do this back at the apartment? It's a long story."

Steph nodded enthusiastically. "Okay. Until then, let me have my super hero fantasy."

Chuckling, Ranger smiled at her. "You have a super hero fixation, you know that, right?"

"Yeah, Batman," she stated lowly. "Got a problem with that?"

When her voice dropped like that, his blood rushed south. "Not when I benefit from it."

She smiled at him sweetly, then rolled her eyes. "You get a kick out of the whole Batman thing. Admit it."

Ranger refused to answer, concentrating on driving until he pulled into his usual spot in the garage. Steph had endured the silence with moderate good humor, turning her attention to the window. Once the car stopped, however, she was out like a bullet and waiting impatiently at the elevator, tapping her foot. He followed slowly, smiling crookedly. "Impatient, Babe?" was all he could manage to get out before she pulled him into the barely open doors.

She danced in place next to him on the ride, and he observed her in the mirrored elevator wall. Her impatience, rather than annoying him, actually enhanced her natural beauty. It made her eyes sparkle, and her dance made all the right body parts shake. Again, she was the first one out and practically drug him to the door, her hand on the handle before he even had it unlocked.

Once in, she stood expectantly, hands on hips. "Where?"

He considered briefly, then decided that he wanted to be comfortable for his not entirely comfortable story. "Bedroom."

A shadow passed over her eyes briefly before she nodded. "Okay."

Once in the bedroom, they both stripped down- he to boxers, she to her T-shirt- and climbed into the huge, fluffy bed. They lay side by side, not quite touching. "So?" she asked.

Ranger considered the best way to tell this story, weighing what facts he needed to leave out as too fantastic, what details were necessary. He decided to just jump in, from the beginning, and hope for the best. "I told you before that I left Rutgers after my second year to join the army."

She nodded, waiting.

"I was actually recruited for a _special_ special ops program due to my back ground."

"Because you're Cuban?" she asked, clearly confused.

"Because my grandmother is a bruja," Ranger answered. "The program was called the Initiative, and its purpose was to capture, catalog, and control supernatural creatures. My familiarity with the world of magic made me an easy recruit, because I didn't need to be convinced that these things existed. I already knew."

Steph nodded, accepting that part more easily than he thought she would, so he continued. "We were sent to centers of creature activity- Cleveland, Las Cruces, Sunnydale."

"Where were you?" Steph asked as she settled into his side, falling into the story telling like a little kid.

"Sunnydale, in California. We were placed into different universities, at fraternity houses, and by day were normal college guys. We were actually encouraged to mingle with the other students for undercover intelligence gathering."

Steph scrunched her nose. "Please don't tell me you dated the Slayer. Or worse, hooked up at a kegger."

"No," Ranger looked a little amused, "But one of the other guys dated her. That's how I met her."

"What was she like?" Steph asked a bit wistfully.

"Tiny little blonde girl, big blue eyes, and one hell of a punch." Ranger wrapped his arm around Steph, feeling the insecurity at her mental comparison. "But a little scary. Things that would kill one of us barely slowed her down. She did things her own way, although once we found out who she was, we tried to get her to work with us."

"What do you mean, her own way?"

"She was stubborn- more stubborn than you, actually- and she had the skills to pull it off. I've never seen anyone, male or female, like her in action." Ranger brushed a kiss across Stephanie's forehead. "I'd like to see what you could do, with a little real training."

Steph mumbled to herself, "So would I, now."

"If you're serious, we can start tomorrow." Ranger waited for her response. He had wanted to get her better trained since she'd first asked for his help, and she might actually cooperate this time.

"What time do I have to run?" she asked, cringing.

"How about six?" Ranger asked. At her nod he continued his story. "The higher ups didn't like the way she worked. We were supposed to track and capture demons, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters- any non-human. The government kept them for study and experimentation. Sometimes our objectives didn't match the Slayer's, or our methods. One superior tried to have her taken out, certain that Buffy was exerting undo influence over Finn and some of the other men."

"Buffy? The super hero's name is Buffy?" Steph asked incredulously, her uncontrolled laughter shaking her body and rubbing against Ranger's in an intimate and hard to ignore way.

Once he had himself under control, he continued. "Right before the officer decided to get rid of the Slayer, I came home on leave. Abuela had requested that I come home right away, saying she was sick and near death."

"Obviously she recovered," Steph interjected.

"Abuela had a vision that I needed to get away from there or I was going to die. She lied." Ranger shifted himself so that his body was not so close to Stephanie's tempting one. He felt like a teenager, fighting for control. Stephanie always seemed to have this effect on him. He wasn't sure why, and he wasn't going to ask his Abuela, but he was now pretty sure that something supernatural- not on Steph's part, at least not consciously- was the basis for the attraction. And, given the volatile magical energy surrounding Stephanie right now, he really didn't want to mix in any sexual energy. Sex magic was often used for dark magic, which Steph didn't need any more of right now.

"So what happened?" Steph's voice was a little unsure. Although she said that she didn't believe in this stuff, her tone was like a kid at a sleepover listening to the scary urban myth story that she wasn't sure if it was real or not. Ranger took it as a baby step of progress.

"The creatures broke lose, killing almost all of the men on base. The Slayer brought things under some control, but not in enough time to save most of the men." Ranger turned Steph to look directly into her eyes. "I would have died, too, if I had been there. Abuela and her sight saved me. There's a reason I believe."

Steph studied his eyes, and nodded. "I won't say that I believe, yet, but you're starting to convince me, Ricardo Carlos Manoso."

He felt a tiny stab of relief in his heart. Maybe he was really getting through to her. "I was on the clean-up crew, though. It was horrible. We cemented over the entire facility, entombing the bodies of all men and creatures. I'm sure it will interesting if it's discovered and excavated in a couple hundred years."

Steph laughed. "Weekly World News story, for sure."

"I asked for standard Special Ops reassignment after that- taking over third world countries, political assassinations, the usual." This was said with a smile.

"You'll tell me all about this magical world that scares the hell out of me, but you can't tell me what you did in the REAL army?" Steph pouted, punching him on the arm.

Ranger laughed. "I'm more afraid of the government than I am of ghosts and goblins, Babe."

Steph shook her head, the long brown curls caressing his arm. He almost trembled, he wanted her so badly. He had loved her for do long now, a true and deep love, and he didn't know how to tell her, or if he should. He had spent months convincing himself that his world truly was too dangerous for her, and continued to fight to fight the urge to tell her every day. But now, it turned out that she was a part of that world without even knowing it. She was more accepting than he would have imagined. The whole situation was raising his hopes- among other things- again.

"Go to sleep, Babe. Six am runs come up early." He switched his lamp off, and rolled onto his side. He heard her breathing slowly even out, and knew that she was asleep.


	5. Chapter 7

I realize that I have forgotten this on some chapters, so: I do not own, only borrow, these characters. I make no profit, yadda, yadda, yadda. I only _wish_ that I owned RangerJ

Chapter Seven

Six AM snuck up on Ranger, too. He had spent a great deal of the night simply staring at his Babe. He cringed when the alarm went off, then rolled over to hit it off and was surprised to see Stephanie standing over him, already dressed for running in a sports bra and yoga pants, sneakers laced up. "Babe?" he questioned, squinting out one tired eye at her.

"I was up early to use the facilities, and decided to just stay up." Steph tried to raise an eyebrow at him, but failed. "Are you getting up?"

Ranger pushed himself out of bed and headed to his closet, gathering clothing on his way to the bathroom. He dressed in record time, tying his hair back and beginning a stretch as he entered the bedroom again. Stephanie was reaching for her toes, back to him. He took a breath. She really was beautiful, an unconscious beauty that only made her more alluring. "Ready, Babe?" he leaned over to whisper in her ear, making her jump.

"Uh, yeah," she stuttered, standing back up and straightening her clothing.

Ranger corrected her when she headed out to the elevator, motioning to a doorway that she hadn't noticed before. It led to a short stairwell that went up to the roof. On the roof was a rudimentary track. "I had this put up here a while ago, and included in the protections. You should still be safe up here."

Steph frowned. "I'm starting to feel claustrophobic, or agoraphobic, or whatever phobia it is about staying inside one place for days without being able to go out. And I was attacked under protection already.

Can't we go OUT and run?"

"Babe," was all that Ranger said as he began his run. She kept up for a circuit or two, then fell behind. As he passed her again- noting the advantage of approaching her from behind- she picked up her pace to catch up. She spoke once she was even with him.

"And I've been meaning to ask. Lester knows magic?" she got out between hard breaths.

"Yeah," was Ranger's only answer.

"What about Tank and Bobby and all the other guys?" she asked.

"Some, but not all. I keep the supernatural stuff under pretty tight cover. I do still run a security company." Ranger waited for more questions, but Steph allowed herself to drop back. Eventually, she just waited for Ranger by the door. After a few more laps, he joined her.

"I thought that you wanted to seriously train," Ranger stated wryly, opening the door for her and motioning her in.

Steph made a face. "I was thinking more of how to fight."

"Can be arranged. Tank will meet you in the gym in an hour." Ranger went past her as they entered the apartment and headed for the phone in the bedroom. "Don't bother changing."

Steph investigated a breakfast tray left by Ella while Ranger used the phone, showered, and changed. "I have to do some work in the office this morning. I will meet you and Tank in the gym at 12, and you can show me what you learned before I feed you lunch." He grabbed a bagel, spread some cream cheese in it, and took a bite on his way out.

Ranger drove to his abuela's house with a knot in his stomach. Abuela had left him a voicemail message this morning, asking to see him- without Stephanie. He didn't think it could be good, which was proven as soon as he set foot in the house. His grandmother had hot black coffee for two on the kitchen table, and his mother was no where to be found.

Abuela didn't waste much time getting to her point. "Are you in love with this girl, or not, Ricardo?"

He knew better than to try and lie or fool his grandmother, but he still refused to meet her piercing eyes. "Yes, abuela. I am."

Abuela nodded her head, satisfied with his answer if not with his avoidance of looking at her. "When are you going to tell her?"

"I don't know. I wasn't ever going to-" His grandmother cut him off.

"Why not? To protect her from the dark things you deal with?" Abuela snorted in disdain. "That argument no longer flies. She'll be in the thick of the same things you are, and you know it. She's got power, and she had to use it or it will use her."

"I admit, that argument is moot, now. I haven't really thought past it yet." Ranger took a sip of the steaming coffee. He never wanted to have this conversation with his grandmother, especially not now when he already felt so out of sorts. "But now doesn't seem right. She's got to deal with so much already…"

Abuela took a sip of her own coffee. "I'll admit, it might be a little overwhelming now, but it might also be a help to her. Whether you've told her or not, she knows. She's been denying it, maybe, hoping for it but scared that you don't really feel the way she wished you did."

"Is this female common sense, or sight, 'buela?" Ranger asked with a chuckle. "Because she's always been scared of me, running from getting closer."

"And I'm sure you made it so easy for her. How many times have you run out of here to help her with something, in the middle of dinner, but never told her we even existed until three days ago?" The accusation in her voice made him hesitate to answer, so she steam rolled right along. "Stop dicking around, Ricky, before you regret it."

Ranger hung his head. This conversation was a long time coming, and he deserved it, he knew. But what if this didn't work out? "Abuela, I don't know if I have the courage to tell her. What if she doesn't feel the same way?"

"Silly little boy concerns. Tell her, and then deal with the consequences. Pain is better than a life half-lived in fear, and I never thought you were a fearful man."

"But Abuela, I don't want to cause any other problems right now. If I tell her, and she freaks out- she can't leave and be unprotected right now." He sighed, an unspoken thought in his mind- how, once he told her, could he keep his hands to himself?

"Ricky, I said tell her you are IN love with her, not make love to her." Abuela read his mind anyway. "And even if you did, sexual energy doesn't have to be used for black magic. If you two are truly in love, it might enhance the protections you have placed on her." Abuela hid a smile behind her mug. Did she really have to encourage her grandson, a fine specimen of man, to sleep with the woman he loved? She decided to let him off easy this time, and see if he could get his head out of his ass. "What I asked you for today does have to do with this, but only tangentially."

It could get more uncomfortable? Ranger mentally questioned, then tried to cut it off incase his abuela picked up in it. Futile effort, he noted, as she muttered, "Yes, it can be quite a great deal more painful, you stubborn boy.

"If Stephanie had been somehow activated, which seems likely, she needs a Watcher." Abuela nodded to a box on the chair next to Ranger, which Ranger had not noticed when he first sat down. "Those are your grandfather's journals. Take them, and use them as a model for your own."

Ranger almost spit his coffee out. "You want me to be Steph's watcher? Are you crazy?"

Abuela took offense at his wording. "Just as slaying is in her blood, Watching is in yours. And, quite frankly, unless we want to send Stephanie to a complete stranger who is also watcher to about a hundred young girls at a time, in Europe no less, you will have to do."

"What do you mean, a hundred at once?" Ranger started.

Abuela cut in. "I made some calls. The First Evil almost wiped the Watchers out. There are so few that each Slayer cannot have one to herself. I have contacted the Council, and they agree that this seems the best approach. Truthfully, they didn't want her. They feel she is too old to train."

"I know nothing about Watching!" Ranger weakly protested. "I have a company to run!"

Abuela tsk-tsked. "Feeble excuses. Read the journals, think about it."

Ranger knew a dismissal when he heard it. Gathering up the items, he kissed abuela on the cheek and left.

Ranger stood back from the mats, not letting Steph see him although he was sure Tank did, watching her progress. Really, when she followed her instincts, she wasn't half-bad. If they could drill some better fighting instincts into her, she would be great. But there was none of the super strength or speed of a Slayer there. Steph seemed only blessed with the luck and intuition.


	6. Chapter 8

I realize that I have forgotten this on some chapters, so: I do not own, only borrow, these characters. I make no profit, yadda, yadda, yadda. I only _wish_ that I owned RangerJ

Chapter Eight

Stephanie sensed Ranger's approach, although she didn't outwardly show it. She continued to spar with Tank until Ranger made his presence known to her.

"Good job, Babe," was all he said.

Tank filled Ranger in on the attacks they had practiced this morning, as well as complementing her skill. "Bombshell is doing well. If she'd started this sooner, she'd be kicking your ass."

Ranger only smiled, and motioned with his head for Steph to follow him. "I'll talk to you after lunch, Tank."

Tank nodded and moved off in the opposite direction from Steph and Ranger. Draping an arm around her shoulders, Ranger pulled her towards the elevator. "Ready for that lunch, Babe? How's Pino's sound?"

"You're going to let me out of the building?" she said hopefully.

"I picked up pizza and a meatball sub. They're waiting for you upstairs." Ranger smiled at her. "Then, we need to talk about a training schedule."

Steph shuddered slightly at the training schedule, but obediently rode up with him. Silence reigned until she had finished scarfing down half the sub and three pizza slices while Ranger nibbled on a very healthy looking salad- no croutons, no bacon bits, no dressing. "How can you eat that stuff?" was the first thing out of her mouth before she could stop it.

A crooked smile was Ranger's first answer. "Not all of us are blessed with a supernaturally aided metabolism, Babe."

"Is that true?" Steph asked, eyeing pizza slice number four. "Another slayer ability?"

"Within limits," Ranger answered, seeing her weigh the possibility in her head and then choosing to forgo the extra piece. "Now, a training schedule."

"Yes, sensei."

"Don't be a smart ass," Ranger glowered at her a little. Once upon a time, that would have stopped her cold, but he apparently wasn't as scary as he once was.

"Sir, yes, sir."

Ranger took a deep breath. "Seriously, now?"

"Okay, okay." Steph sighed. "Can't I have a little fun with it?"

"I want to train you just as we would a new Rangeman recruit, with firearms, procedures, hand-to-hand, general fitness." Ranger pushed his unfinished salad away. "But you also need some magical instruction, some history- not the kind you've studied before- as well as things specific to being a Slayer."

"This sounds like Harry Potter." Steph pouted a little. "I have mentioned that I was never that great a student?"

"I believe you told me that you were unmotivated. The fact that you are a Slayer makes this your destiny, and necessary if you want to stay alive. I think that alone should motivate an excellent performance." Ranger studied her. How to even explain what his role was to be? He decided to let his Abuela explain it, when it became necessary.

"So who is teaching me what?" Steph asked, a little subdued.

"Tank will continue with hand-to-hand. Lester will handle magical attacks. Bobby will do firearms. I will go over procedure and some of the history; Abuela will do general magic as well as other parts of the history." Ranger mentally shivered at the thought of his Abuela having time alone with Stephanie, and what could be said, then simply hoped for the best. "Hand-to-hand and firearms will be on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in the morning; magical attacks and history will be Tuesday/Thursday; and magic and procedures will be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after lunch."

"Ah, Ranger- I still have to work," Stephanie interjected. "I have bills to pay, an apartment rent to cover…"

Ranger nodded. "I am offering you a full-time Rangeman contract, with paid training. You can talk to my business manager this afternoon for the details."

He could see the storm rising in her eyes. Her voice heavy with distrust, she stated, "This smells like a sympathy gig, and I don't-"

Ranger cut her off again. "You are a Slayer. That makes you a valuable employee for me. You're going to feel compelled to fight the evil whether I pay you to or not. We handle cases of fighting evil everyday already. Wouldn't you rather get paid?"

Stephanie felt overwhelmed. "I need to think about it. And while I do, I'm not making any money. I need to go after a few skips."

"Tank or Lester can do it for you."

"Then I'm not earning the money. I need to do it." Stephanie was adamant.

Ranger sighed. "It's not safe out there for you right now, Steph."

But she wouldn't let it go. He finally agreed that she could clear up the three outstanding skips she had, if she went with Tank and allowed full monitoring by Rangeman's control room. She wasn't happy with it, but she knew she wasn't going to harass him into anything better. "Okay."

Ranger left her alone to shower and change, and said he would send Tank up in a half-hour. She jumped into the shower and primped in record time, emerging from Ranger's bedroom just as Tank entered the apartment. "Hey, partner!" she greeted him.

"Bombshell," he greeted back. During her earlier training, he had explained that, after her newspaper articles, the boys in the control room had given her the call sign for bodyguard duty, and asked if she didn't mind being called by it. She didn't mind. "What skips today?"

"Eula, Mooner, and Bob Sedoski. Easy, Easiest, and I-don't- know." Steph pulled on a jacket and headed towards the door when Tank stopped her with a hand on her arm.

"Where's your gun?" he asked.

"Back home in my cookie jar." She looked him right in the eye. "And it's probably not loaded anyway. That a problem?"

Tank sighed deeply, and motioned to the door, following her out. It was going to be a long afternoon, he felt.

It was a very long afternoon. The first two skips were easy, and didn't even require his back up, although Eula did eye him up as he waited next to the car. The third, however, was not as easy. Somehow, as Tank broke down the door the reluctant skip had slammed shut in Steph's face, another man had snuck up on Steph with a knife. She had fought pretty well, avoiding serious injury before he got back to her, but she had gotten cut and bled a little before the man ran away. The whole scuffle took less than a few seconds, while Tank was throwing Steph's skip out the front door and down the steps. He was chagrined, to say the least, when she explained what had happened.

Securing the squirrelly little man, Tank called for another Rangeman employee to take the guy in for a body receipt and told Steph that they were headed directly for Abuela's.

"Why?" she demanded, a little surprised that they weren't headed to the hospital first for some stitches.

Tank remained silent, saying only that Abuela would explain.

Abuela was not happy with the news of the afternoon. "This is very bad, mija."


	7. Chapter 9

I realize that I have forgotten this on some chapters, so: I do not own, only borrow, these characters. I make no profit, yadda, yadda, yadda. I only _wish_ that I owned RangerJ

Chapter Nine

"How is this bad? As my skips go, this is actually a minor injury," Steph stated, sitting at Abuela's kitchen table.

Tank shook his head a little. "We need to get you caught up on basic magic as quickly as possible, Bombshell."

Abuela gave him a look at the name, but let it pass. "Personal possessions, especially things like hair, fingernails, and blood, are used in ritual dark magic. Possessing something of yours gives a magician power over you; the more personal and harder to get the possession is, the more of a hold over you it gives to the magician."

Stephanie processed for a minute, then went, "Oh," in a very tiny voice.

Ranger's voice carried from the doorway, surprising her. "There's a reason I don't get injured much, Babe."

"I thought you were just so scary and Rambo and good at your job," Stephanie stated, still in a tiny voice.

Ranger smiled. "That too, but I make a special effort."

"So what is this guy going to do with my blood?" Steph, not sure she really wanted the answer.

"My guess is a calling spell. Thankfully, he probably didn't get enough blood to do anything else." Abuela looked concerned, though. "I don't know how strong he is, though, and his personal power will determine how well the spell works. And he also has some of your hair from the hairbrush he stole. He could use both and make it much stronger.'

"A calling spell?" Steph asked, truly nervous now, so much so that the slight burning in her arm from the earlier cut was forgotten.

"Have you ever seen _Dracula_?" Tank asked, looking at Abuela as he did so. When Steph nodded yes, her eyes round, he continued. "It's sort of like Dracula's hold over Mina."

"He can make me get up and leave RangeMan headquarters? What about the magical protections?" she asked.

Ranger explained. "This spell is keyed toward you on a very personal level. My protections are keyed to my men, the building, and me. They will protect you some, but it might not be enough to completely block it." He sat down next to her, pulling her into a hug. He could feel the fear emanating from her now. "But Abuela can adjust the protections some, and create others just for you, to help protect you more than you are now." He looked to Abuela. "Right?"

"Yes, mijo," Abuela smiled. "I can protect you a bit, Stephanie. Even more if you give me a sample of hair and blood to work into the spells. It will take a good part of the afternoon, but by tonight, while you are sleeping and most vulnerable, they should be in place."

"What if he's already cast the spell?" Ranger asked quietly.

"I will have to fight him for control. It is a possibility, Stephanie." Abuela studied her face. "That would make it more difficult, but it is still possible to fight him."

Stephanie pulled away from Ranger's comforting arms and straightened her spine. "I understand. How much blood?"

Abuela smiled at her, then motioned for the boys to leave. She had a further idea she wanted to discuss with Stephanie, but she had to feel her out first, and the boys needed to be gone. "Stephanie should be ready to go with you in about an hour. Have Bobby waiting to stitch her up."

Stephanie waited patiently at the table as Abuela brewed some loose tea in two cups. Handing one to Stephanie, she sipped on her own and settled across the table from her. "Stephanie, before we start on the magic, I just want to talk a little."

"Talk?" Steph asked, nervous now. "About my stalker?"

"About my grandson." Abuela met her eyes with a piercing gaze. "How do you feel about him?"

"Uh," was all Steph could manage. Her emotions were all jumbled up to begin with, she was under stress, and she never expected Ranger's GRANDMOTHER to have this conversation with her before Ranger did. "What do you mean?"

"There is an obvious bond between you. I want to know the nature of the bond, how strong it is." Abuela sipped her tea and motioned to Stephanie's cup. "Drink, dear. And breathe. I'm not asking for a declaration of undying love or any details you don't wish to divulge. There are things a grandmother doesn't really want to know."

Steph sipped her tea, trying to recover and stop blushing. "Ranger is a very good friend."

"Is that all?" Abuela fixed a look at her. "How good a friend?"

Steph continuing sipping. "Abuela, just what do you want to know? What do you want me to say? I feel very strongly about Ranger, but he doesn't feel the same way. He made that quite clear to me before, and I don't want him to know how I feel. It would be humiliating, and he probably wouldn't want anything to do with me anymore."

"Stephanie, I think you should talk to Ricardo about this." Abuela tried to find a way to make Stephanie realize that this could be very important.

"No," Steph stately firmly, shaking her head.

"Stephanie, please think about it." Abuela considered the extra protection acknowledgement of their obvious bond might bring for Stephanie. Given Ranger's strong feelings, his protections would probably offer Stephanie more safety than any other innocent he was helping; if those two could acknowledge their feelings for each other, the protections would treat her as if she _were_ Ricardo. "I think that Ricardo feels quite strongly about you as well."

Stephanie spent long minutes considering Abuela's words and studiously avoiding Abuela's gaze. With a sigh to admit her defeat, Abuela rose and gathered some items on the table- a stylized little dagger, a small bowl, and a length of slim leather, as if for a necklace. "I will need to cut your arm again, or a hand if you prefer."

Stephanie put the tea down and held out her injured arm. Abuela firmly gripped it, raised the dagger, and quickly re-opened the wound. She caught the blood in the little bowl, and wrapped Stephanie's arm in a clean dish-towel. "I'm sorry that hurt; the next part is not so bad. I need a good ten to fifteen hairs, either cut one at a time with the dagger or pulled out by hand. Which do you prefer?"

"I'll pull them out myself," Stephanie quickly answered, eyeing the sharp little dagger with distaste.

Abuela nodded, taking each individual hair from Steph and putting them together in an even pile next to the leather string. Once Steph was done, she quickly braided the hairs together with the leather piece and tied it into a circle. Speaking in low Spanish, Abuela muttered something over the items on the table and then gathered them up to put away. The blood and hair disappeared into a little room off to one side of the kitchen that Steph would normally have thought was a pantry; she didn't want to think about what Abuela used it for. When Abuela returned, she sat back at the table with Stephanie.

"So, Abuela, how do you know all this magic stuff?" Steph asked in a conversational tone, trying to keep the older woman from approaching the Ranger topic again.

"I was taught by my grandmother, who was taught by her aunt. Magic is a generations old gift in my family, though it tends towards the females." Abuela smiled at her. "Similar to Slaying, I think."

This brought Stephanie around to the fact that her mother had been a potential slayer. "Was my mother the first Slayer in my family?"

"That is something to ask you Grandmother Mazur, I think," Abuela said. "I believe that you might find your family tree quite a but more interesting then you think it is."

Abuela seemed to know more, but wasn't forth coming with any other information. Steph decided to change tactics slightly. "And did you teach Rosa magic?"

"Some. Rosa's main talent, though, is foresight. My great hope was my granddaughter, Ricky's girl, but I have been firmly disappointed in that. Ana had no interest in this- no belief." Abuela sighed. A child of Steph and Ranger- now that child could not help but be born to power as great as or greater than her own power. Only a wistful thought now, but one that she greatly hoped would come to fruition. "Carmen's children are all boys, and while sensitive to magic, the gift seems to have skipped them."

A knock on the kitchen door interrupted them. It was Tank and Lester, ready to escort Stephanie back to Haywood. Stephanie, suddenly feeling very tired, was more than happy to go. Abuela kissed her on the cheek, whispered "Talk to him, dear" very quietly in her ear, and waited at the door as they drove away.

The ride was a quiet one. Normally chatty, Stephanie was lost in her own thoughts before she fell asleep just blocks from Abuela's.


	8. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Stephanie woke up unsure of where she was, which added to the anxiety she felt creeping across her chest and making her heart race. She felt a figure beside her, and she rolled away and out of the bed, trying to catch her breath. There was an incredible pressure inside her head, and the idea of "Get out of here! Must get out NOW!" reverberated in every molecule of her being. Recognizing that this must be the calling spell didn't help the anxiety, and she couldn't seem to bring herself to wake Ranger for help. Instead, she dressed silently and made her way to the door, wondering if she could get out before one of the men in the control room caught her.

As soon as she opened the door, a large body with a familiar voice hulked in front of her, stopping her from any forward progress. "Bombshell," Lester stated softly. "You need to go back in there, and go back to sleep."

Stephanie didn't respond, the compulsion making her consider the best way to defeat the obstacle and continue on. Lester seemed to sense this, and with a "Sorry, Steph," there was s sharp buzzing pain on her neck, then the world went black.

When Stephanie woke up, she was handcuffed to the headboard and Ranger was lying next to her, bare-chested but armed with another stun gun. "Lester stunned you, Babe. Are you feeling better?"

Wariness was in his eyes; he seemed to sense that she wasn't quite herself. "Yeah," she croaked. "But can I have some water?"

Ranger nodded, keeping his eyes on her as he went into the bathroom and came back with a glass of tap water. Handing it to her, he waited until she was finished to take the glass back to the bathroom. Then he settled down on the bed beside her again. Concern was in his eyes, and she wondered when she had become so adept at reading his usual expressionless-ness. Then she realized that for once, he wasn't hiding what he felt.

That meant he felt something for her. She felt her heart warm, and she felt a little bit more like herself. The inner pressure to leave abated a tiny bit. "Why didn't you just shackle me down so that you could get some sleep?" she joked weakly.

"I can afford to miss some beauty sleep, Babe. I called Abuela- she's worried about this stalker's strength. You managed to make it out of here without waking me up, which you could not have done on your own. I'm not sure that shackles alone would work." Ranger smiled a crooked teasing smile. "And I always wanted to see you handcuffed to my bed. Call me selfish to take advantage of a situation."

"I thought you didn't need handcuffs to enslave a woman," Stephanie repeated, her voice slightly bitter.

"I don't," Ranger answered, catching the emotion. "I never said I didn't like to play, though."

"I wouldn't know that," Steph said the bitterness in her voice growing. She didn't like the direction the conversation had pinballed into it, but she also wasn't sure how to delicately get out of it. Deciding that she was too tired for subtlety, she just changed the subject. "So, is this the temporary plan for tonight?"

Ranger allowed the change in subject. "The best we have for now. Can you sleep like that?"

"Not really conducive to sleep," she ground out tersely

"What can I do to help, other than letting you out?"

Stephanie considered. "Not much. Unless you can think of something pretty damn distracting, I'm just going to lie here uncomfortable."

Ranger felt his loins tighten. He hadn't been kidding about the handcuffs comment. Having her here, cuffed like that- even in these circumstances- was almost too much for him. He just couldn't help himself. And his conversation today with his abuela… He leaned over to her ear, kissing the shell and nibbling down to her lobe before whispering to her, "I can think of several ways to distract you."


	9. Chapter 11

****

DISCLAIMER: Clearly, I do not own these characters, and if I got paid to do this, I would write a lot more much more quickly than I do.

Chapter Eleven

Stephanie stiffened at his words, fighting the desire to melt in his arms and let him have his way with her. "I thought that you decided that this type of relationship wouldn't work, Ranger." She wondered how she had found the strength to say that.

Ranger leaned his forehead against hers, his eyes closed and breath shallow. "Are you up for a serious conversation, Babe, or do you just want to drop this here?"

Stephanie wondered at his choices. "If I don't want to talk about this, you'll just drop it and forget it ever happened?"

"Yes. Our relationship has always been your choice." Ranger rolled away so that he wasn't touching her. 

"You sent me back to Morelli! That wasn't a choice!" she spat out angrily.

"You didn't fight me on that, either, Babe. It's the one time you actually did what I asked you to do without an argument." Ranger's voice held a tinge of sadness.

It was Steph's turn to sound sad. "You didn't want me, Ranger. Why would I try to pursue a relationship with a man who didn't want me?"

Ranger's eyes widened. "I never said that I didn't want you, Babe."

"Okay, let me rephrase it. Why would I try to pursue a relationship with a man who didn't want that type of relationship with me? I mean, I'm okay if you want a quick grope or fuck, but that's about it, isn't it?" Despair in her voice grew as did the need to get the hell out of there. She almost couldn't catch her breath for the pressure building in her chest again.

Ranger sensed something other than just this conversation was going on, and his demeanor changed to an impersonal, calm tone. "Babe, I need you to take deep breaths and calm down. We can talk about this later, once you've gotten yourself under control. Right now, it's bad for you to get all worked up."

Stephanie let loose at him. "If I want to be upset, dammit, I'll be upset! You can't control everything! Just because you don't want a relationship doesn't mean that I can switch my feelings off like a light! And all the touching all the time, the innuendos, does nothing to help me! Keep your frickin' hands to yourself, damn you!" Tears were streaming down her face, and she was fighting her handcuff hard enough that she had angry red welts threatening to become open sores.

Ranger backed away, reaching for his cell and dialing without looking. "Lester, I need a little help in here."

Stephanie really lost it. She didn't even remember what she was screaming at Ranger when Lester entered the room. Once quick look, and Lester reached a hand over her forehead. A low muttered word, and she instantly fell into blackness.

Ranger and Lester sat in the kitchen, the bedroom door in full view of both of them. Ranger had made coffee, which Lester took with a "Thanks." Silence reigned for several minutes before it was broken by Lester. "What the hell did you do to set off that kind of reaction?"

"I can't even begin to explain. It seems like every mistake I've made in this relationship just got thrown back at me." Ranger sounded defeated.

"You musta fucked up a lot, man," Lester chuckled.

"Yeah," Ranger agreed. "Apparently I have."

"You need to get her calmed down on your own, man. That sleep spell is short acting; I couldn't risk anything stronger with the calling spell still going on. The more agitated she gets-"

Ranger jumped in. "The more her mixed up emotions will just aid the calling. I know, I know. I just don't know how to calm her down."

Lester shook his head. "I didn't hear everything, and I certainly didn't understand all of it, but my suggestion is effusive apologies, coupled with some expensive gifts tomorrow."

"It's not that kind of relationship," Ranger tried to explain.

"Sounded like it to me, but I could be wrong." Lester gave Ranger a long, level look. "You've been involved with her for a long time. She was living with the cop off and on the whole time. I can't see you putting up with that, unless you didn't make your feelings clear to her. Is that why it's not 'that kind' of relationship?"

"Yes," Ranger ground out. He hadn't wanted to have this conversation with his abuela, and he certainly didn't want to have it with Lester, either. But he was at a loss as to how to fix this mess.

"Are you telling me you never fucked her? Even after all those cars?" Lester was incredulous.

Ranger was offended. "I never fucked her. We made love one night."

"Once?" Lester shook his head. "You had her once, and gave her back to the cop? Tu eres idiota, ese."

"Yeah, I figured that our myself, Les. Now I need to fix it, and I can't begin to figure out how. I mean, I thought she realized that I had feelings for her, but she thinks I just wanted a quick fuck. I, uh-" He stuttered a little.

"And you propositioned her again tonight?" Lester couldn't believe what he was hearing. "It's a good thing that women only see your looks first, and not that caveman brain." When Ranger didn't even attempt a come back or a punch, Lester knew that Ranger was lost. This girl had him and didn't even know it. Lester just hoped that his friend didn't screw it up. He liked Bombshell, and liked it if she'd stick around. Standing up, Lester drained his coffee and left the mug on the table. "You have about fifteen more minutes before she wakes up. I'll be in the hall until dawn if you need me again."

Ranger nodded and continued to stare at his own coffee. He was no closer to figuring out what to say to Steph when he heard her stirring.


	10. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Standing at the doorway and looking in on Stephanie, he waited until she was fully conscious before speaking. "Is it safe for me to come in, Babe?"

All he got in answer was a glare- not very promising. "I think I need to do some explaining, if you'll let me."

Again, no answer. Ranger approached the bed and settled down on his side, staring at the ceiling. He didn't think that he could say what he needed to say if he looked at her. "Babe, the first thing I need to clear up is that I made a mistake after our night together. Several mistakes. I was a little overwhelmed by it, and confused."

Steph laughed in a dry, evil cackle. "YOU were overwhelmed by it?"

Ranger closed his eyes and forged ahead. "I love you, and I was desperate. I thought a night together would get you out of my system, let me get back to my normal life, where I did not spend hours thinking about a woman. My normal life, where I dealt with evil and supernatural creatures that I could never tell you about, with down and dirty security work that I didn't think you could stomach. My normal life had nothing to offer you, and I couldn't stop thinking about you. It was like a curse."

Stephanie's breathing hitched, but she held her tongue, so Ranger continued. "One night together made it a hundred times worse, and I thought if you went back to Morelli, you might actually work it out and not need my help anymore. I knew that, if you stayed with him, you would leave bounty hunting. And if you did that, if I didn't see you, maybe it would just go away. I was wrong. So very wrong."

She still didn't speak, and he refused to look at her until he was finished. Whatever her response, this needed to be put out in the open. "I did not use you for sex- it was and never will be just sex with you. Now, now I find out that you actually live in the same world that I have worked so hard to keep you out of, and I don't know what to do about it. I had no hope for a relationship with you before, one that would work, and now- now-" he couldn't even finish the sentence at first. "Now, I'm acting like some teenager who can't keep it in his pants. I love you, Stephanie, and I always have. I tried running from it, and it didn't work. Then, tonight, having you here in my bed like I had daydreamed… I just couldn't stop myself. I'm sorry, very sorry.-"

"You love me?" Stephanie whispered. "What about in your own way? Is this really you love me, or something else?"

"Yes, it's that kind of love. No qualifiers. You have my heart and my soul." Ranger turned to look at her, still afraid of what he might see in her eyes.

There are tears streaming down Stephanie's face. "Ranger, oh Ranger. I love you, too. I just thought that-"

"I was an unfeeling ass. Several people have brought to my attention the fact that I suck at relationships, and that you probably had no clue how I felt. I'm sorry that it took this long- and this crisis- to say something." Ranger wiped the tears from her face gently. "This is not how I imagined telling you."

Steph half-choked on a sob. "I don't care how you imagined it, I'm just glad to hear it."

Ranger leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss against Stephanie's lips. "Mi corazon, mi vida. I promise, I will try not to be such as ass in the future."

"Just come here, you big dumb ass!" Stephanie managed to get out between hiccuping sobs. She grasped Ranger back as tightly as she could with one hand cuffed to the bed. His face was also wet with tears, although not nearly so many as her own. She wasn't even sure that they weren't hers. Lying in the bed with Ranger, the pull to leave had almost vanished. She relaxed, and at some point, dropped off.


	11. Chapter 13 & 14

Chapter Thirteen

When Stephanie woke up, her hand was uncuffed and the wrist was bandaged. She was alone in the bed, but she heard voices in the living room and Ranger's shower was running. Sure she looked like hell and unsure of who was in the living room, she decided to stay put. A few minutes later, Ranger emerged from his shower clad in a low towel. Seeing she was awake, he smiled at her and made his way over to plant a kiss on her cheek. "Buenas dias, Babe."

Steph smiled back. "Good morning."

Ranger sat next to her on the bed and brushed an errant hair away from her face and behind an ear. "I know last night was rough, but abuela and Lester are here are discuss the best methods of protecting you for tonight, just in case. Are you up for it?"

"Get me a coffee and give me a half-hour to get ready." Steph sighed. A half-hour wasn't much, but she didn't want to keep abuela waiting. Lester- well, she was still pissed about the whole sleep spell thing. He could wait. Ranger let her get up and he went out to the living room once he was dressed.

Abuela immediately sensed a difference in her grandson. She smiled broadly when he appeared, and said, "You finally told her."

Lester cut in. "So I guess you figured out what to say to her when she woke up."

Ranger couldn't keep the goofy grin off his face. "Yeah, I told her."

"And?" Lester prodded, taking advantage of Ranger's good mood to be nosier than usual.

"And she loves me, too," Ranger said lowly, the smile getting bigger.

Abuela nodded happily. 'This is good. I am happy for you both." She paused for a minute and decided to press her luck, too. "So did you sleep with her?"

Lester turned red, Ranger's eyes got very big and round, and Abuela tsked-tsked. "I told you that it might help bring her more protection. That is the only reason that I ask."

Ranger closed his eyes, counted to ten (then twenty), and ground out, "No."

Abuela shook her head. "Think about it for tonight, mijo."

"Is it really that bad, that you tell me to sleep with her to protect her?" Ranger asked, still not quite able to look Abuela in the face.

"I did what I could, and it didn't work. He is obviously pretty powerful, and we aren't sure if he will be able to try again tonight." Abuela raised an eyebrow at him. "It certainly wouldn't hurt if you did."

"I'll keep that in mind," he replied dryly. "What else do you suggest?"

"Typical precautions. Salt the perimeter, let me bless the rooms and Steph, and burn the proper herbs during the day." Abuela motioned to a bag on the floor next to her chair. "I brought candles infused with the necessary herbs, all hand-made. I thought that candles might work better for Stephanie."

Ranger nodded. "Any ideas on who he is or where he is?"

Lester spoke up. "If Bombshell will let me, I want to cast a tracer spell on her that will allow us to try and track him. It's a little tricky, involves a computer, so you know what a pain that always is- but if he strikes, we'll see what we can get."

Stephanie stood at the doorway and caught the tail end of it. "You're going to cast a spell using a computer?"

Lester nodded. "A little unorthodox, but if we can get a trace of his power from the spell he cast on you, we feed it- in a way- into GPS and try to pinpoint a location."

"And computers don't usually respond well to magic, I take it?" Steph asked as she moved to sit next to Ranger. Ranger immediately snaked his arm around her and pulled her a little closer.

"No, they don't. But I've been working on it for a while, and I think I have some of the bugs figured out." Lester looked at Steph. "So. Am I forgiven yet for the sleep spells?"

Steph found her own mug of coffee on the table, took a drag, and considered Lester's question. "Maybe."

Lester laughed. "Better than I thought. Well, I have some details to fine tune. See you both tonight." He nodded to Steph and Ranger, and stopped to hug Abuela before he left.

Abuela looked steadily at Ranger for a few minutes, then turned her attention to Stephanie. "In addition to Lester's spell, I will try another, stronger protection spell tonight. I am also reinforcing the building protections this morning."

"Is there something I can do?" Steph asked in between mouthfuls of hot, sweet caffeine goodness.

Abuela paused for a minute, considering her words. "I told Ranger already; he can explain it to you, dear." Abuela rose quickly, avoiding the daggers of Ranger's eyes. "I think that I will be leaving and getting to work."

Ranger allowed her to leave on her own. She wasn't sure if that was because he was so mad or so stunned.

Chapter Thirteen

Stephanie waited a few minutes for Ranger to explain Abuela's instructions, continuing to drink her coffee. He was very quiet, even for him, and she spared him a look.

Ranger's face was red, and his mouth had a grim set to it. She prodded him again. "Ranger? What am I supposed to do to help?"

He tried evasion. "There are some candles to burn around the apartment."

"Anyone can do that," Stephanie straightened up, her spidey-sense tingling. "What don't you want to tell me?"

Ranger pulled her close again, resting his chin on the top of her head. He did not want to explain this; he prayed his pager or cell phone would interrupt, but no such luck. Steph was a dog with a bone when she wanted to know something. He didn't think he could live with the ongoing inquisition, or the embarrassment if Steph decided to just call Abuela and tell on him that he wouldn't share the information.

"Abuela has a theory. It has to do with the building protections." Ranger tried to approach this logically instead of just babbling it out.

Steph nodded; he felt it. "You said that the protections were keyed to you and your men. Does she think she can get them to include me?"

"Yeah."

A few moments passes. "What do I have to do to persuade the protections to help me? Is it something disgusting? Is that why you don't want to tell me?"

"I don't think it's disgusting, Babe."

"You also eat green crap, Ranger. Our definitions of 'disgusting' might not match up, here. What is it?" She punched him gently on the arm.

"Abuela thinks that the protections will stretch now that I've admitted my feelings to you, but there's more we can do."

"We?"

"Ah, yeah." Ranger took a deep breath, trying to remind himself that he was a trained soldier who could put aside his feelings to get a job done. It didn't work, and he couldn't avoid it any more. Steph was shaking her leg, impatient. "Abuela thinks that we have a better chance of it if we have sex."

Steph closed her eyes and turned red. "And you complain that my grandmother asks too many questions about my sex life."

She was taking this better than he expected. "Babe, I don't want to do this _this_ way."

"You don't want to sleep with me?" Her eyes were still closed, but her voice was unsure.

"No," Ranger started, then realized how he sounded. "Shit, this is like a bad sitcom. Let me start again. Yes, of course I want to sleep wit h you, but this is not the reason I want it to happen. This is not how I imagined our first time."

Steph cracked an eye and squinted up at him. "Ranger, this isn't our first time."

"Yes it is. This is the first time you know how I feel about you, and I know how you feel about me. This isn't some stupid deal, isn't a one-night stand." Ranger didn't know how to explain his feelings, and his frustration just grew. "This-"

Stephanie smiled, and looked up at him in full glory. "You are a wonderful, thoughtful, sensitive man after all, big-bad mercenary guy." She hugged him. "That statement just got you more points than all the times you've stood by me and protected me."

What? Ranger was confused. "I DON'T want to sleep with you, and THAT gets me points?"

"It's the why, you dope." Stephanie snuggled in to him, warmth filling her. "I don't like that this is like blackmail- you have to sleep with me to protect me, it's not whether you want to or not. But-" she shivered, remembering the one night they had spent together already, "the question really is, would you still want to sleep with me, even if I wasn't in danger like this?"

Ranger almost shivered as well at her deep, throaty tone. He answered her in a whisper. "God, yes."

"Then the protection is just like, icing on the cake." Stephanie tried to keep her tone light.

Ranger crushed her against him. "Then you're okay with it? You're not upset?"

She chuckled. "I'm going to get laid by the man who ruined me for all other men. That's going to bother me?" She crawled into his lap, straddling him and looking him directly in the eyes. "Okay, I'm a little freaked that your grandmother put the idea in your head, and she'll know we did, but I think the good FAR outweighs the bad." She leaned in and gave him a gentle kiss that quickly threatened to overtake them. Pulling away, her breathing heavy, she grinned at him. "So, does it matter when we do this?"

Ranger, breathing equally heavily, chuckled. "Not really."

Stephanie was up in a second and pulling him up by the hand. "How about now?"


	12. Chapter 15

**Family Gathering**

By PTBvisiongrrl

Rating: PG-13 for now (who knows where it will go?)

SPOILERS: none, really

WARNING: No Joe in sight right now

Standard disclaimer: I own nothing, only borrow, play with, and return. Except for Ranger. I'm never giving him back.

The rest of this story can be reached through the CTD on PFF Ref or at It's been a while- RL took over for a long time- but now that I am out on maternity leave, I am going to try and finish up my unfinished stories. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter Fifteen

_It's short, but at least it's new. If you were expecting smut, I don't write it well, so I skipped it. Sorry!_

Stephanie lay languidly across the bed, pleasantly tired and energized, as she listened to Ranger's shower run. If she had thought her one night with Ranger had spoiled her for all men, she was wrong. That night had been nothing compared to this afternoon and evening. The simple acknowledgement of their feelings for each other had added a dimension to their love-making that she had never experienced before.

She wondered, was it that she had never been in love before, or was it something else, tied in with the Slayer and magic business going on now? And did it really matter?

A small, nagging voice in the back of her head said it did matter. If it was magic, if it was tied to what was going on- how did she know it was for real? Magic made things seem one way, when in reality it was different. Just like the calling spell that had made her almost maniacal to leave Ranger's apartment last night when she knew, logically, that it was the safest place to be. That small thought began to grow, and then she felt the pressure in her head and chest begin to build again. And then she pushed the thought away, knowing that it was not her own, as she was gripped in pain. She must have called out without realizing it, because Ranger at her side, dripping and wrapped in a towel, before the pain had passed. "Babe?" he questioned softly.

Stephanie took a deep breath, trying to speak around the pain she was now feeling. "He's calling me again."

"Is it as bad as last night?" Ranger took her hand, worry apparent in his face. Maybe his abuela had been wrong about them sleeping together.

"No," Steph ground out from clenched teeth. "I feel physical pain, but it's not in my head this time." She tried another deep breath. Wasn't breathing some part of the whole having a kid process? To help the pain? Because it wasn't working so well right now. "Last night, I couldn't control what my body did- I just tried to leave without thinking about it. The idea that I had to leave was just there. Tonight, I know it's not me, it's not MY thought, and I can sort of separate myself from it. I can ignore it, it just-"

"Hurts," Ranger finished for her, brushing her hair back from her face, his anxiety lessening with her answer. "That's probably the building protections helping to filter the spell some." After a few moments, the tension began to leave her body and she took a shaky breath. Taking advantage of it, Ranger softly asked, "Is it very painful?"

"Yes," Steph managed to get out as the tension returned. "But it seems to be coming in waves…" Another deep breath and a tear leaked from her eye. "And this one is a little less painful. Is there some kind of supernatural pain killer you can give me?

Regretfully, Ranger shook his head. "Painkillers make you lose focus. Magic is highly focused will power. Working through the pain and physical distractions is part of building the power." Brushing a kiss against her now-sweaty forehead, Ranger squeezed her hand. "You'll have to tough it out, Babe, unless Les or Abuela can come up with another, stronger counter-spell."

"I was afraid of that answer," Steph almost whimpered, settling in for a long night. "Call them,

Ranger. Please."


	13. Chapter 16

**Family Gathering**

By PTBvisiongrrl

Rating: PG-13 for now (who knows where it will go?)

SPOILERS: none, really

WARNING: No Joe in sight right now

Standard disclaimer: I own nothing, only borrow, play with, and return. Except for Ranger. I'm never giving him back.

**Chapter Sixteen**

Lester arrived first, ten minutes after Ranger called him; Abuela in twenty. Lester had brought his laptop with him, and immediately began setting it up. He flashed a bright smile at her as he worked. "How you doing, Bombshell?"

Steph gave him a weak grimace- as close to a smile as she could manage- and tried to watch him set up, but was distracted by her pain, even though it was less painful than before. "Oh, just peachy."

Lester momentarily gripped her hand. "We'll try and get what we need as quickly as possible, and then we'll cut his spell off at the knees."

"That would be good." Steph closed her eyes, trying to block out the pain. "And how are we going to do that?"

Steph felt cool objects pressed against her forehead, cheekbones, sinuses, and jaw. "The next pain you feel, the computer will take in some information and tell us where to find him. Then we'll go there and get him."

Opening one eye, Steph became curious. "Are you sure?"

Lester paused before answering, and Ranger appeared over his shoulder. Ranger and Les answered at the same time, "Yes," and "Not exactly." Ranger shot Les a look and corrected him. "Yes, Babe, we are sure this will work."

Stephanie knew he wasn't deliberately lying to her, but she wasn't that hopeful, given Lester's answer. Sighing, she asked, "Is it on yet?"

Lester nodded. "It's gathering data now. It will take a few- ah- passes, to gather enough information-"

Abuela appeared next, although Steph hadn't even heard her come in, finishing Lester's sentence with a warm smile. "For me to scry- use a spell to find- a more exact location."

A new wave hit Stephanie, and the computer started making beeping sounds. Peering out of a slit of an eye, Steph saw different map images flashing over the screen, automatically resizing and zeroing in, until it stopped completely on a neighborhood of Trenton she was unfamiliar with. Between the pains, she saw a map printed out and placed in front of Abuela, who held something shiny above it, looped over her hand. Whatever the shiny thing was, it swayed wildly and forcefully, refusing to settle down and causing Abuela to frown.

"It's not working, is it?" Stephanie asked during a break in her discomfort.

Ranger held her hand, absently running his thumb across her palm. "Not as well as we'd hoped, Steph."

Lester tapped away on his keyboard, adjusting his program but not getting it to perform any better. Abuela continued to try to scry, without any better luck. Stephanie tried to block out the spell's pull, pushing her mind away from her body and its physical sensations. The voices around her grew faint, fading in and out like a bad radio signal, then disappeared. She opened her eyes to see why, and nearly screamed.

She was looking down at the room, her body lying on the bed, Ranger next to her, and Lester and Abuela hard at work. She assumed she wasn't dead, as no one was particularly upset, but she still found the experience disconcerting. She felt as if she was floating around the ceiling, insubstantial and ephemeral. Out of the corner of her eye, there seemed to be other, shadow beings circling the ceiling, pulsing dark red and deep purple clouds with the hint of eyes and claws. The shadowy figures didn't seem to notice her, but she wasn't sure how long that would last. She shied away from the clouds, somehow instinctively knowing that if she allowed them to touch her, something very bad would happen….

She studied the cloud beings, watching their reactions to the scene below them. They did not seem happy; one or two passed closer to where and what Abuela was working on, becoming more agitated as they returned to the ceiling. Hints of speech- barely whispers, not in any language she recognized- cascaded over her, the humming like an electric surge over her non-corporeal form. The speech rose in pitch and volume, growing angrier, like a swarm of creatures working themselves up into a fury. Then, like a bolt of lightening, the beings merged into one and sped toward down toward her inert, body, covering it like a seething blanket.

The creatures hit her body with a physical shock so severe that it drew her down to her body again and back into a pain so severe that she strained and arched off the bed as if suffering a seizure. Piercing screams, in the language she had heard so recently whispered, echoed in her mind, overpowering any conscious thought. Ranger tried to restrain her, but the force of her reaction to the creatures' touch was too strong even for him. The last thing she recalled, as blackness filled her mind, was a familiar light touch on her forehead and the barest hint of a thought- _Sleep, Bombshell._


	14. Chapter 17

**Family Gathering**

By PTBvisiongrrl

Rating: PG-13 for now (who knows where it will go?)

SPOILERS: none, really

WARNING: No Joe in sight right now

Standard disclaimer: I own nothing, only borrow, play with, and return. Except for Ranger. I'm never giving him back****

**Chapter Seventeen**

Stephanie came back to herself hours later; a pale pink glow shone around the edges of Ranger's curtains and a hard, warm form encircled her own. "Ranger?" she whispered, her voice hoarse and throat dry.

Ranger sprang instantly to alertness. "Babe? How are you feeling?"

Closing her eyes again, she swallowed thickly. "Like I was hit by a truck. Twice. What the hell happened?"

"I was hoping that you could help us with that one." Ranger tightened his arms around her.

Thinking hard about it, Steph shook her head. "I'm not really sure what happened. It seems like a weird, bad dream."

"How so?" Ranger sat up next to her.

"Well," Steph was unsure how to start. "I mean, nothing like that has even happened to me before. One minute, I was in terrible pain, on the bed next to you, and the next thing I knew-" She turned to face Ranger, half-rising before she decided that it might not be as good an idea as she originally thought and dropping back on the bed. "I was floating."

"Floating?" he questioned her.

"Uh, yeah." She closed her eyes and tried to remember each detail, in order. "I was looking down on everyone, kind of circling the ceiling."

A little frown line appeared between Ranger's brows. He didn't look worried, precisely, but something about his expression seemed tense. "Do you know how you managed to do that?" he asked.

"I was just trying to escape the pain." As if calling it to mind, Steph felt how badly her body had been affected by the strain of the spell. Every muscle ached, and her head throbbed in time with her heart. She shrugged. "And it just- happened."

"It sounds like astral projection. You can hear and see everything, but as if you were an observer, not a participant. It's actually not an uncommon reaction to severe physical discomfort or pain." Ranger lay back down and slipped his arm beneath Stephanie's head and pulled her close. His voice was pitched neutrally, but Stephanie picked up an underlying wariness. She didn't feel precisely under interrogation, but she knew that he wouldn't let her stop until he got all details from her. "The experience seems to have freaked you out a bit. Was there anything odd about it?"

Steph nodded. She had heard of astral projection before, somewhere, sometime. She was glad there was an explanation for her odd, floating feeling/experience. But she was pretty sure that the dark cloud thingees floating with her were unique to her and not part of the usual experience. "There were these- things- floating, well, sort of with me but not."

Ranger's arm under her head tensed slightly. "What types of things?"

Steph tried to explain the there-but-not-there creatures of fog and color, and how she simply _knew_ that she should not allow those things to touch her, even in her body-less state. Ranger seemed to grow tenser, and she sensed that she had barely escaped from a horrible fate last night. Ranger's reaction to her description of blood red and angry purple mists of eyes and claws, and their screaming fury, cemented her thought.

"Nothing like that should have been able to get past the building protections. Those sound like other Plane creatures- and not nice ones-" he was up and moving, reaching for the phone already. He was talking aloud, but none of it made sense to Steph.

"Hey, Mulder!" Steph interrupted. "I don't have a degree in the paranormal, so I have no clue what the hell you are talking about. Can you put that into simple, short English?"

Ranger looked apologetic and came back over to the bed. Drawing her into his arms, he hugged her and brushed a kiss across her forehead. "I am sorry, Babe. The creatures are not from this earth- but from another, parallel earth. They must be forcably brought here by a magician, coerced into serving the magician. And the types of creatures that will allow themselves to be used by a magician like that are generally not the nice type."

Steph allowed the implications to sink in. "So this guy not only coerced some nasty creatures to attack me- which I guess means that he's got to be pretty powerful- but he got past your building protections. Which means he's even MORE powerful."

Ranger sighed. "Yeah, babe."

"I'm fucked." Stephanie rested her head in her hands.

Gathering her into his arms again, Ranger reassured her. "I will protect you, Stephanie. No matter how powerful this guy is, I will make sure you are safe."

Stephanie allowed his words to calm her, concentrating on the feel of his muscular arms cocooning her. She hoped she wounded convincing. "You always have."

The touching, tense moment was interrupted by the intercom buzzing. With a last hug, Ranger let Stephanie go and leaned over to his nightstand to answer. "Yes?"

Tank's voice rumbled out at them. "There are some unexpected visitors here to see you."

Frowning, Ranger looked to Steph. "Give them an appointment."

"I thought that you might be interested in what they have to say." Tank paused. "It concerns a recent, developing case of high priority."

Steph got the feeling that she was being talked around. Rising and boldly taking control of the intercom, Steph inquired, "Who is it, Tank?"

Another momentarily pause. "Buffy Summers."


	15. Chapter 18

**Family Gathering**

By PTBvisiongrrl

Rating: PG-13 for now (who knows where it will go?)

SPOILERS: none, really

WARNING: No Joe in sight right now

Standard disclaimer: I own nothing, only borrow, play with, and return. Except for Ranger. I'm never giving him back.

**Chapter Eighteen**

Turning to Ranger, Stephanie shot him a questioning look that disappeared the minute her mind made the connection. Ranger recognized the second Stephanie got it. "We'll be down in fifteen," he stated into the speaker. Turning to Steph, Ranger nodded. "Yeah, Babe, she's the Slayer."

Steph looked a little bit stunned for a minute. "The Slayer, capitalized, right?" Steph asked. "I feel a little- I don't know. Weird. Kinda like meeting Wonderwoman, I guess."

Ranger shook his head. "Don't feel out-classed here, Babe. She was the only Slayer for a long time, with a lot of training and natural gifts. You've been a potential- without knowing it- for much less time. You would be just as good, too, if you'd have gone through what she did or had had some training."

Steph shot him a look, half pissed and half-grateful. Ranger understood her better than anyone else, but even he didn't get everything about her. "It's not just that, Ranger" she said as she rose and headed to the shower. "Why is she here, now? The Council basically told me I was on my own, didn't they?" She paused in the doorway, hand on the knob, her brown eyes hard. "So what does she want from us? And," she closed the door, speaking over her shoulder as she did so, "am I going to want to help her?"

Ranger looked over at Stephanie, who was standing rigidly and, if you knew her well enough to tell, nervously, in the corner of the elevator. He hadn't thought that Stephanie would jump ahead so quickly to the _why_ of the Slayer's appearance; he had hoped that the idea of meeting another slayer would keep her mind occupied. He should have known better than to underestimate Stephanie Plum.

When the elevator doors opened silently to the 5th floor, Ranger took Steph's hand and pulled her out into the hallway. "Are you ready for this?" he asked her, not sure if he himself was. They had basically been hung out to dry by the Council, and now, the day after a major attack, here its representatives were. That wasn't a coincidence; the actual Slayer would never have some so far for a minor, local problem. He and his abuela may well have been wrong about the danger level of this situation- a misjudgement that he was very uncomfortable with.

The minute he and Stephanie stepped into the conference room and Buffy Summers turned to look at him, those particular worries left to be replaced with others. "Hello, Ms. Summers. I am Carlos Manoso, and this is-"

Big blue eyes turned cold as she looked him over, never even turning to look at Stephanie, and walked up to where he was standing. The distaste on her face was evident. "I should have known that the Initiative would be involved in something like this." Buffy's red-headed companion had turned to face the door as Ranger and Steph entered as well, and her demeanor changed at Buffy's words. She became wary, her eyes darting from Ranger to Buffy and back again.

Stephanie picked up the mood change as well and shifted dangerously at Ranger's side. He had to act before she did; they needed to talk to these two women _before_ pissing them off. He had known that any meeting with the Slayer would not end well if she recognized him; he had simply hoped that time had changed him enough that she wouldn't remember him, or at least not immediately.

Fat chance. Another mistake on his part, one of several he was racking up lately. "I no longer belong to the Initiative," he calmly stated in an even, friendly tone, putting all his faith in the military psych training he had undergone.

Buffy laughed, harshly and cynically, at his words. "Why don't I believe that?"

Ranger considered his words. He couldn't blame Buffy's attitude toward him; the Initiative, of which he had been a part, did try to kill her. "Ms. Summers- Buffy- I understand your feelings, but I haven't been a part of the Initiative in several years. I left right after the Sunnydale disaster."

She didn't look convinced, and her words showed her level of hostility clearly. "Those super secret military people would never let you go. That's their nature. Even Riley was taken back, and he had turned against them. Is this whole thing another ruse by the Initiative to try and put me out of business again?" He barely had any warning that she had moved before her fist almost connected with his face. It took him several seconds to realize that Stephanie's hand had stopped Buffy's punch, and that Steph wasn't letting go.

"You need a lesson in manners," Stephanie snarled in her best Jersey girl tone. Buffy met Stephanie's eyes for a full minute before she broke Stephanie's hold at the elbow with a quick blow. Immediately, Buffy went on the attack, and Stephanie fought back. Stephanie had felt anger before when confronting an opponent; she had often allowed it to control her reactions. She quickly realized that _that_ was one of the reasons she usually ended up covered in garbage. This time, though, her anger- fury, at the unprovoked attack on Ranger- did not control her actions. She didn't consciously choose to fight differently. It just happened. She wasn't sure what took her over, but a quiet voice in her head guided her actions, thoughtfully assessing tactics and such as she fought. Her usual clumsiness was non-existent; she met Buffy blow for blow, a feeling of pure power surging through her.

This must be what Ranger meant when he said that her true Slayer power had never come out before, because she had never met up with a supernatural enemy. Steph knew the girl in front of her was as supernatural as she herself, and right now, Stephanie considered her an enemy based on Buffy's actions. So somehow, Steph's fighting was of unparalleled excellence.

Right up until the red head with Buffy stepped in, raised her hands, and muttered in an odd language that sounded almost made up. Whatever it was that she did, it froze them both in place.

"Buffy- and, um, you, too, Stephanie, is it?- no fighting until we talk more." The red head leaned over and whispered something in Buffy's ear, then spoke to them both again. "I will unfreeze you, if you both agree. Do you?"

Stephanie found she was able to nod, which she did only after seeing Ranger non-verbally agree and Buffy nod first. Movement returned to her, and she moved a step back from Buffy. "So talk."

Motioning to the conference table, Ranger took charge again, sensing that Stephanie was less than ready to deal calmly with the visitors. "It's nice to see you again, too, Buffy. Especially after your Council hung us out to dry with our little- problem."

The witch answered the comments addressed to Buffy. "Uh, let me introduce myself. I'm Willow, and a member of the Council, of sorts." Ranger and Stephanie sat, blank faced, as she continued. "When you first contacted us, this really sounded like a small, localized problem that we thought you could handle. After all, the Council is a little short handed these days, and-" Buffy subtly shook her head, and Willow changed tactics. "But its become, uh, clear that this problem is bigger than you or we thought at first."

Ranger raised an eyebrow. "And what, exactly, changed your mind?"

Buffy and Willow exchanged another look, and Willow cleared her throat. "Perhaps, if you gave us a little more information about the issue, we could explain better-"

"No." Stephanie crossed her arms and sat back. "It is my understanding that you were already given the details of my situation. There's an evil guy out these who wants me and my Slayer power. It's a simple question to answer, and doesn't require any more information Are you going to help us or not?"

Buffy sighed and took over. "Yes."

"Then the real question is, what's changed?" Ranger interjected.

Buffy shot him a look of pure dislike. She was probably the only woman that Stephanie had ever seen who actively disliked and was completely unaffected by Ranger's mere presence. "To sum it up, Stephanie is not the only potential Slayer affected by this guy's spells. All of the Slayers felt it last night, some more than others. The last ones called felt it strongest; I barely stirred in my sleep."

Stephanie was caught off guard. "They all felt it, too?"

Buffy nodded. "All of them, no matter how far away. Even the ones in Europe."

"And the European compound has magical barriers established to stop spells from entering," Willow added. "That's why the newest potentials are sent there first."

Ranger frowned deeply. Stephanie's stalker seemed to be growing more dangerous by the minute. He hated to give up information about his operations, but it was important for them to know it. "Similar thing here. Although the spell's pull seemed muted, limited, it still got through- two nights in a row."

It was Willow's turn to frown. "That's a strong calling spell."

"Stronger then we thought. This guy managed a blood sample from Steph for the spell, so we thought it was keyed only to her." Ranger tapped the table absently. "Maybe Steph isn't the only target."

Buffy nodded again. "That's why we are here. We need to shut thus guy- demon, warlock, magician, whatever he is- down."

Willow was already turning over the magical aspects in her mind. "Is it the link forged between all the potentials now, so that Calling all slayers is an unintended side effect, or is this magician just that powerful and using Stephanie as a means to an end? "

"He's definitely powerful," Steph added. "The first calling- I had no control at all. And then last night- it was freaky. In a bad, bad way."

"What do you mean?" Willow asked, and both she and Buffy looked interested in Stephanie's answer.

"The spell wasn't as strong last night- it still felt painful, but not as coercive- and there were these nasty all-eyes-and-teeth creatures made mostly of smoke…" Steph shivered, trying to describe the clouds of evil beings she remembered.

Willow looked perturbed now. "I thought that it might just be the slayer link, but if he called Other Planes creatures up-" She shrugged. "We need more information to come up with a plan."

Buffy sat back again, looking cold. "But first- how do I know that the Initiative isn't involved here?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes and mouthed "_broken record_" while Ranger sighed. "I have no way to prove it to you. You either trust me, or you don't."

"Why should I trust you?" she asked tersely. "Last time I trusted a government operative, I almost ended up dead."

Stephanie jumped in. "We contacted you, and you told us to shove off. We didn't call you again; you showed up on your own. You can walk out that door and never come back, for all I care. We're doing just fine dealing with this on our own. We don't need you."

Buffy looked at Steph with an undecipherable glare for a few minutes, until it began to soften into a half-grin. "I don't know if I trust him, but you-" She shook her head. "I feel the connection to you- magically, and attitudinally, if that's even a word. I think I said something similar on more than one occasion to the Council. So- we'll stay- but at the first site of government involvement-"

Steph gave her a mocking-grin back, cutting her off. "Most of Ranger's men are ex-military. Hope that's not going to be a problem."

Buffy sighed. "We'll see."


	16. Chapter 19

**Family Gathering**

By PTBvisiongrrl

Rating: PG-13 for now (who knows where it will go?)

SPOILERS: none, really

WARNING: No Joe in sight right now

Standard disclaimer: I own nothing, only borrow, play with, and return. Except for Ranger. I'm never giving him back.

Any suggestions for this action/plot so far would be helpful and appreciated. I am not happy with this chapter, but I am determined to just force my way through it and finish the damn story.

**Chapter Nineteen**

As the sun began setting, the two Slayers faced off across sparring mats. The idea was that, if Stephanie was actively engaging her Slayer powers, then the Calling would feel less compelling for her. This was based on the fact that Buffy had been fighting a demon when the other Slayers were stricken by the spell and had felt nothing. In lieu of actually leaving the building, sparring with Buffy was the next closest way to access those powers.

Plus, Stephanie really wanted to try her skills out against the Slayer again, and not just for Buffy's reaction upon recognizing Ranger.

Ranger and Tank watched from the sidelines as she and Buffy circled each other warily, neither wanting to make the first move. Having never really been that much of a fighter, Stephanie was nervous. She supposed fighting Buffy now was very much like fighting Ranger or Tank before she had any powers- which meant that, unless Buffy was pulling her punches, Steph was going to get her ass kicked. Steph was fairly certain that her earlier confrontation with Buffy ended so well only because of her anger at the time. Buffy's first punch cemented that notion. It rocked Steph on her feet.

Tank began calling out helpful suggestions for her defense. She did her best to follow them, but was shut down each time. Feeling somewhat battered as she lay on her back on the floor, out of breath from the force of her landing, she called a time out, to her own disgust. Buffy shook her head. "Steph, just follow your instincts. Don't listen to the big guy. His methods won't work for you."

Steph sat up slightly, leaning on her elbows to look up at Buffy and trying to catch her breath. "My instincts generally suck."

Buffy rolled her shoulders and sighed. "No- they don't. Not when you are doing what you are meant to do. A vampire would kick Big Boy's ass in a second; buy you would kill the vampire, if you listened to your instincts." She waited until Stephanie looked up at her. "You are what you are. Be happy with it, and use it. Don't let people make you feel like you are less."

As much as Steph initially disliked the petite blonde girl, the words felt like a balm to her Burg wounded soul. As many times as she had said the same thing to herself, as many times as Ranger had tried to make her understand the sentiment, it took until now. Buffy had trod this same path, under much more pressure than Steph ever had. If Buffy could do it, Jersey Girl Steph could do it. Steph was special- in a way she had never really considered, setting her even further away from the Burg, but, given the importance of her destiny- save the world from evil- maybe it was worth it. After all, wasn't this what she had always dream about as a child?

"Got it, Buf." Steph stood up, took a deep breath, and said, "Let's try this again."

As they circled each other again, Steph took the initiative and struck first. She and Buffy, once engaged and while she was listened to that odd interior voice again, were evenly matched. It was like a well choreographed, equally well rehearsed ballet. Kicks and punches were met and countered, neither one gaining an edge. It felt as if they could go on this way forever, as if time didn't exist outside of mats. The rhythm of attack and counter attack served to calm Stephanie's anxiety at the drawing end of day, and the seemingly inevitable nighttime attack. She was so calmed that, when the spell hit, she was completely unprepared and fell to her knees.

Ranger and Buffy were on either side of her immediately. "Babe," Ranger asked, pulling her hair back to look into her eyes. "Is it the calling spell?"

Taking a deep breath, Steph nodded. "Do you feel it, Buffy?"

"Not really," Buffy shook her head. "I only felt a twinge, after it hit you. Willow?" she turned to the sidelines, where Willow, Lester, and Abuela were talking quietly.

Abuela spoke up. "Willow had an idea, which we agree might allow us to find this magician more easily than what we tried before. Stephanie, can you bear this for a little while, so that we can gather what we need?"

Through gritted teeth, Steph agreed. "Yes. But could you hurry?"

Willow nodded, then set off with Lester to get whatever supplies it was they needed. Steph closed her eyes and concentrated on breathing. Ranger stayed next to her on the mat, on his knees, gripping her hand and wrapping his strong, supportive arm around her. She closed her eyes and concentrated on making it through this wave. She lost track of time again in the waiting, for the second time tonight. It worried her enough to make her speak up. "I'm not feeling right, Ranger."

"Of course not, Babe. Fight the pull." Ranger smoothed her hair back, whispering soft words in Spanish that, although she didn't understand them made her feel a little better.

Stephanie concentrated on the sound of those words so much that she didn't hear Lester and Willow come back in the room until they settled next to her and Lester spoke. "Steph, we need you to add some of your blood to this cup. Buffy, too." He held out a small, silver knife with a flashing red stone embedded in the handle.

Buffy reached for the knife first. She didn't even flinch as she grasped the blade in her hand and slid it across her palm. Allowing the blood to well up and fill her hand, she held it over the cup and allowed it to drip in before wrapping the cut. Stephanie, feeling weak, simply held out her hand and allowed Buffy to cut it for her. It stung for just a few seconds. Once the blood of both Slayers was added to the cup, Abuela picked it up and started chanting over it. A slightly purple haze filtered up from the cup and dissipated into the room.

Willow stepped forward and took the cup, continuing the chanting as she held it up. "Goddess, protect those whose life force is held within against the darkness searching for them. Help me, your priestess, to find the source of the darkness and allow these warriors to defeat it." At that, she drank from the cup and bowed her head. When she raised her eyes to look at Buffy and Stephanie again, they glowed an iridescent white. When she spoke, her voice was not quite her own, with an odd echo to it. "I know who it is, and where he is. And what he is."

Then her eyes rolled up into her head and she passed out on the floor with a thud before anyone could catch her.


	17. Chapter 20

**Family Gathering**

By PTBvisiongrrl

Rating: PG-13 for now (who knows where it will go?)

SPOILERS: none, really

WARNING: No Joe in sight right now

Standard disclaimer: I own nothing, only borrow, play with, and return. Except for Ranger. I'm never giving him back.

**Chapter Twenty**

The moment Willow went slack with unconsciousness, so did Stephanie.

Chaos broke out as Buffy and Lester tried to revive Willow while Ranger and Abuela concentrated on Stephanie. It took a few minutes for Lester to ascertain that it was simple exhaustion from the working of so much magic that made Willow collapse and not an attack. There was nothing Lester could do for her that simple rest wouldn't do better. Abuela had a tougher time- Steph not only remained unconscious, but began what looked like seizures. Her back arched, her teeth clenched, her muscles spasmed. No amount of magical or physical aid seemed to make a difference.

Ranger continued to hold Stephanie's hand during the- fit? He wasn't sure how to classify this- and his eyes didn't leave his grandmother's concerned face save for quick glances at his babe. Abuela was muttering in Spanish and Latin and some other languages he couldn't identify, her hands pressed to Stephanie's head and heart. When her words had no noticeable effect, she called Lester over.

"Lester, dear, I could use some help here. Sleep spell, quickly, please." Lester left Willow's side immediately and kneeled next to Abuela on the mats, his large hands covering her thin, frailer ones. His deeper tones joined Abuela's, but had no better effect until Willow was suddenly there as well, looking like hell and shaking like a leaf, chanting something in counterpoint. At the addition of Willow, Steph's body calmed- but she still didn't wake up.

Lester helped Willow up slowly, wonder in his voice. "What did you do?"

Willow clung to him, trying to keep her footing. "I followed the spell back, and erected a barrier.

"What type of barrier?" Lester looked at her admiringly.

"It won't last long. Just through the night, no longer." Willow closed her eyes, wavering. "I don't have the energy for anything more."

"So who is he?" Ranger asked lowly, his voice dangerous. "You said you found out where and what he is."

Willow shook her head. "I know I did, but I'm so fuzzy right now- I just can't seem to reconnect the pieces yet…"

Abuela rose from Stephanie's body, and hugged Willow. "That's normal enough a reaction, dear. Thank you so much for your help."

Smiling weakly, Willow hugged Abuela back. "I'll be better in the morning…" She began nodding off as she stood, so Lester gathered the petite redhead into his arms. "I'll take her back to the guest apartment."

Buffy jumped up, too, but Lester waved her off. "You're needed here."

Her conflicting desires- to remain here to help, and to go take care of her friend- were obvious on her face. Ranger and Abuela both waved her off. "There's nothing much else here to do tonight, just keep watch over Stephanie."

Buffy nodded. "Until the morning, then."

After Ranger had carried Stephanie back to his apartment and made her comfortable in his bed, he sat with Abuela in his living room, sipping some of his grandmother's special mix of tea, made to help recover from working magic. "Abuela-" he began.

"Ricardo-" she cut in. "I know you worry. I worry as well. But there is nothing more to do until Willow feels up to it."

"Abuela- how could this happen? We planned, we had precautions-" Ranger made a noise of impatience and anger. His grip around the tea mug tightened, his knuckles whitening.

"This _he_ is simply stronger than we thought." Abuela shrugged. "Willow bought us another day to plan, to look."

"But what did she mean, she knew _what_ he is?"

Abuela was very quiet in her reply. "I don't know, mijo. I wish I did."

"What if I can't protect her?" Ranger's voice shook a little.

Abuela made her voice firmer. "Ricardo, she is a Slayer. She will live in danger, danger that you will not always be able to protect her from. I know this isn't reassuring- but if you act as her Watcher, you will have to learn to deal with this." She looked him in the eyes. "If you stay as her lover, you will have to learn to accept this."

"Maybe I wish she wasn't the Slayer." Ranger sounded like a petulant little boy.

"If I wasn't a Slayer-" Steph said in a hoarse voice from the doorway, "you would never have told me that you love me."

Ranger whipped around to look at her. "What are you doing up? You should be resting…unless the calling spell?"

"No, it's not that." Stephanie leaned against the frame. "Whatever Willow did- I can feel it being blocked. That means that I can also _see_ where its coming from, at least sort of."

"Where?" Abuela asked.

Steph sighed, massaging her temples. "The Burg."


	18. Chapter 21

**Family Gathering**

By PTBvisiongrrl

Rating: PG-13 for now (who knows where it will go?)

SPOILERS: none, really

WARNING: No Joe in sight right now

Standard disclaimer: I own nothing, only borrow, play with, and return. Except for Ranger. I'm never giving him back.

_Okay, I apologize that it has been past forever and a day since I updated, but- as long as RL gives me the time- I have three more chapters sketched out, and the rest of the plot largely outlined. Maybe five more chapters before I wrap this up._

Chapter Twenty-One

It seemed like Stephanie's life revolved around the Burg, although she didn't quite live there anymore- give or take a couple of blocks. Certainly it was where her skips resided; and usually where her pyscho stalkers came from. She really shouldn't be surprised the latest one, magical or not, was from there, too. "Whatever Willow did, before she collapsed, I got a-" she shook her head, as if trying to clear it- "a glimpse of what she Saw. I'm not sure how to interpret it, but I KNOW, somehow, that we have to go to the Burg."

Ranger rose to take Steph's hand and lead her over to the sofa, sitting her down next to Abuela and getting her a cup of the tea. As he placed it into her hands, he noticed she was shaking slightly. Not an unusual reaction to strong magic, but still worrisome to him. "Drink this, Babe. It will help clear your head."

Steph contemplated the tea for a few moments, drawing a shallow sip and allowing it to cool a bit before she swallowed it. She seemed to reach a decision, took a deep breath, and raised her eyes to look directly into Ranger's. "Do you really wish that I wasn't the Slayer?"

Ranger immediately searched for a playful answer to deflect the very real worry he could read in her posture, to hold off the serious conversation he knew would come up at some point in time, but couldn't bring himself to do so. _Someday_ had, through forces beyond his control, become _today_, and he owed an honest answer to her. "Yes."

Her lips trembled for a moment, and she looked away to hide the tears flooding her eyes, he saw. He was already fucking this up. "Babe, I don't mean that I wish you didn't know that I love you. That's not what bothers me about this."

Drawing in a strained breath, and keeping her eyes on her tea mug, she sighed. "Then what did you mean?"

Abuela took this as her cue to leave and began to rise, but Ranger motioned for her to sit back down. If he was going to convince Stephanie that what he was about to say was the truth, a witness might help; also, as the wife of a Watcher, he might need her here to help him explain to Stephanie. "Stephanie," he began, kneeling down in front of her. "I need to explain a few more things about being a Slayer."

She looked anywhere but his eyes, until Abuela reached over to grasp her hand firmly and reassuringly and Ranger pulled her face up to look at his. "What else is there to know?" she asked in a tiny voice.

"First, this is not the best time to have this conversation. You are exhausted from all that you've been through today. But we are going to have it anyway. Why? Because there are many times when a Slayer has to keep going on, long after the point when your everyday superhero would have given up." Ranger raised a corner of his mouth at that, but Stephanie's mouth barely twitched in response. She did straighten up a bit at his words, though.

"Okay."

"I love you. I don't regret loving you." Ranger brushed a kiss against her lips lightly. "I don't regret you knowing that I love you. I regret how you found out, that it has taken something so momentously dangerous to shake me up enough to give me the balls to tell you. I'm sorry that I wasn't strong enough to tell you before, that I tried to keep it from you, because I thought I was a danger to you." He sighed himself. "I still am a danger to you, though. I am going to be your Watcher."

"What?" she asked dully, still a little dumb-struck by this turn of conversation.

Abuela smiled her own half-smile. "Every Slayer had her own Watcher, before the Council was decimated. Not just for training, but life-long. Almost a life-style coach, crossed with personal trainer, psychologist, and research assistant."

"So you'll be my permanent Henry Higgins?" Steph asked, a bit of hope in her voice.

Nodding, Ranger closed his eyes briefly before continuing. "The problem is, Babe, that the life-span of your average Slayer is less that than of a child murderer in the general prison population. And a Watcher's job is to send her out there into danger every day."

"Oh," Steph said in a small voice.

Continuing, Ranger rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb as he spoke. "I don't know if I can stand that- to put you in danger every day, in situations that I cannot control. This isn't a distraction job, or stakeout. This is magic, supernatural, demons, vampires-"

"But you know about them, Ranger. I don't understand," she stated, frustration creeping in.

"I know about them, yes. But I am not supernatural myself. I cannot wield magic, I can't See power; I _know_ things, and know people who can help me." Ranger looked her directly in the eyes, the emotion in his deep brown pools pulling her gaze to him and holding it. "But I can't help you directly."

Understanding began to dawn in Stephanie's eyes. "You think this means that I'm going to die, and it's going to be your fault."

"No. I know that it will be my failure, when you die. That's the price of being a Watcher- eventually, you will die, and I won't." His voice cracked slightly. "I will still be here."

True understanding dawned. "Alone."

Ranger nodded, not quite able to speak. "That's the price of being a Watcher."

"But Ranger-" Stephanie seemed to be searching out the words she wanted carefully. "You were already living a pretty lonely life. You kept me distant. You keep your daughter distant. How is this different now?"

Ranger sighed, a deep melancholy sound, as he looked over and past her shoulder. "Now I know what I would be missing."

A half-swallowed sob brought his attention back to Stephanie, as did a tackle-hug that knocked the air out of him. "I promise that I will be careful. I really, really do. And I will let you train me, and I will follow orders, and I will try and live for a long time yet."

Abuela hid a smile behind her hand, allowing them a few moments before intruding. "This won't be easy on either of you. This is more work than a marriage. A marriage can be ended. If this partnership breaks up, there is a good chance that one or both of you will end up dead of it. Stephanie, for lack of focus; Ranger, from enemies earned or revenge sought."

Stephanie, still grasping Ranger, nodded. Ranger rested his forehead against hers for a moment, then drew himself up. "So. You were saying that you got a glimpse of something, and you know we have to go to the Burg. What do you mean?"

Putting the emotion of the moment away and swiping at her eyes, Stephanie began to explain as

best she could.


	19. Chapter 22

**Family Gathering**

By PTBvisiongrrl

Rating: PG-13 for now (who knows where it will go?)

SPOILERS: none, really

WARNING: language- a brief but good joe visit

Standard disclaimer: I own nothing, only borrow, play with, and return. Except for Ranger. I'm never giving him back.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Steph's explanation had barely begun when the phone interrupted them. It was an internal ring, meaning Tank or one of the other guys was trying to get hold of Ranger. None of them would call unless it was important. Ranger pulled away from Stephanie and answered it. "Yo."

She smiled at the hint of normality. "I'll tell her." The smile faltered at Ranger's look. "There's someone here to see you. He's being a pain in the ass and very insistent."

"Morelli," she half-sighed.

Ranger nodded, while Abuela raised on eyebrow. "He wants to talk to you about your break-in."

"We both know that's not it." Stephanie stated. "I don't need to see him, Ranger. There's nothing I have to say to him." She wrapped her arms around Ranger and hugged him. "There's no place for him in my life now."

Ranger squeezed her back, a little relieved. He still feared that she would wake up and want out of this crazy magical nightmare, and Morelli would be the one she would call. "I understand that, Babe. But he's being a nuisance, and I don't want to have to shoot him to get him to leave."

Steph raised her eyes to meet Ranger's. "You WANT me to see him?" Then her eyes narrowed. "You can't send me back to him this time. I understand the risks of staying with you, and I'm willing to accept them. There is no happy ever after in the Burg for me, and I want it that way."

"I'm not sending you back to him, Babe. But right now, we don't need a nosy cop." He leaned down and whispered into her ear. "Get rid of him for me, okay?"

After taking a minute to enjoy his closeness, she told Ranger, "Okay. Give me ten minutes." She took off towards the bathroom; Ranger wondered how many coats of mascara she would be layering on today.

"Is this wise, Ric?" Abuela asked in a low voice.

Ranger shrugged. "It has to happen sometime. Whatever I may think about how he's treated her, he does love her. He won't let her go without some kind of closure."

Abuela reached over to lightly smack him across the back of the head. "I didn't mean it that way, Mr. One Track Mind. I meant that it might be better if he didn't find out for sure that she's staying here."

"He knows." Ranger held back a look of pride. "She always comes to me when she's in trouble; he knows she's in trouble. He has no doubt that she's here, or I know where she is."

Abuela drew in a slightly disapproving breath. "He doesn't know yet that she's through with him. It could get ugly and stressful. Try to keep her calm-"

He nodded. "I know, Abuela. Stress and emotion will attract this psycho's attention even more. I think that the risk here is worth it. If she breaks it off with him-"

Stephanie came back out into the room and interrupted him, "The building protections will work even better for me. I've thought of it, too, Abuela." She went over to the shorter woman and hugged her. "But I need to do this, for me and Ranger."

Another sigh, but her arms tightened around Stephanie. "Very well, dear. After this is taken care of, we will go looking for our stalker."

Smiling, Steph nodded. "Okay." Then she followed Ranger to the elevator and fifth floor, to see Morelli.

XXXXXXX

Tank had put Morelli in the conference room to cool off and wait for Stephanie to arrive. Bobby stood guard outside the room, in case Morelli got too impatient or the Bombshell, as everyone called her, took too long. He moved away with a barely perceptible nod, leaving Stephanie staring at the doorknob.

"What is it, Babe?" Ranger asked, laying his hand gently on her shoulder.

"Nothing he can say will change my mind, Ranger. But it might get a little noisy in there." She turned to look directly at him. "Don't come in, okay?"

It cost him, but Ranger agreed. "But if you need me-"

"You'll know." Steph gave a small, tight smile. Then she opened the door.

Joe was pacing the floor, looking rumpled and concerned. "Cupcake!" He crossed the room and enveloped her in a firm embrace. "I've been worried about you. I tried calling, but only got your machine or voice-mail, and you didn't call back."

"I've been with Ranger," Stephanie put the words out there quickly, to get the explosive reaction out of the way so she could move on to the let-down.

"I figured as much." Joe exhaled sharply, but didn't show his usual anger when the topic of Ranger came up. "I feel better knowing that you're here. We still haven't found out anything about your burglar."

"Ranger's working on that, too. That's why I'm staying here." Steph was still waiting for the yelling to begin.

"Good."

"Good?" she asked. "You aren't bothered by that?"

A look that was hard to describe crossed his face. "Would it matter if I was? You've never listened to me before, Cupcake. I guess I've just finally learned."

"What's really up, Joe?" Stephanie was glad to avoid a confrontation, especially now, but confused by it as well.

"I've got something to tell you, and you aren't going to like it." Joe pulled her down into a leather wheeled chair and leaned on the table next to it.

Her stomach roiled. "What is it?" she asked tersely, half-guessing already.

"Do you remember Karen Gorsky?" he asked, refusing to meet her eyes.

So that was it. "You want to break up with me? That's what all this is about?" Steph almost laughed. "We were on a break anyway, Joe. You can see anyone you want to."

"Well, it's a little more than that." Joe looked at his feet, sighed, and drew his eyes up to meet hers. "Uh, Karen and I are getting married in two weeks. She's pregnant. I wanted to tell you before the Burg grape vine did."

Air whooshed out of Stephanie's lungs and she got light-headed. "How pregnant?"

Joe had the balls to look offended. "Two months. I didn't cheat on you."

She wasn't really as upset as she thought she would be. Breaking up with Joe was already done for her; it was like a sign that her and Ranger were meant to be. Her vision refocused and she tried to smile at Joe. "I hope you two are happy together. Really."

Joe looked mollified and shamed. "I'm sorry, Cupcake. I do love you."

"I know, Joe. But sometimes- it's just not enough." Steph stood up and gave him a hug. "I would like us to try and stay friends. It might not work that way- but-" She brushed a friendly kiss on his cheek. "I'll miss you."

"Me, too, Cupcake." Morelli looked sad. He always had more invested in the relationship than she was, she acknowledged. "But I didn't just come to say good-bye. Grandma Bella wanted me to pass on a message."

The chills went up Stephanie's spine. The old woman had always seemed like a mean spirited kook, yet everyone still feared her eye. Steph's new-found understanding of the world told her that it meant Bella probably had real Power, or had at one time. "Oh?"

Joe frowned. "She's crazy, you know that right? All the evil eye and shit?"

Steph held back an eye roll. Didn't she wish she could still write off all that as simple shit, not to be believed? "Yeah, I know. What did she say, anyway? Anymore coffin visions for me?" _Please, no,_ she mentally chanted.

"She made me repeat this back to her, so that I got it right." Joe shook his head. "Don't get all freaked out about this, okay?"

Steph's heart began racing, but she played as cool as possible. "I won't. I'm just curious. After all, I'm not Grandma Bella's favorite person. Why would she bother?"

"Sometimes she gets insistent like this. The doctor says its just senility, obsessing over weird shit that doesn't make sense." Joe shrugged. "I humor her 'cause I love her."

"So what was the message?" Steph bit back impatience.

"From beneath you it devours." Joe frowned. "And she said to watch yourself. The past is a living thing that influences the present."

It had the sound of prophecy, to her ears. Trying to commit it to memory, she asked, "Was there anything else?"

Joe wanly smiled. "She said to tell you to stay away from the wedding, or she'd put the eye on you."

Steph almost laughed. "I wasn't expecting an invitation. Maybe to the christening."

"So you're okay with this, Stephanie?" Joe looked unsure.

"Yeah, I actually am." Steph squeezed his hand. "I was going to tell you that Ranger and I-"

"It was only a matter of time." Joe actually didn't look too upset. "I saw it, tried to ignore it. He's a crazy mother-fucker, but I know he'll take care of you. At least as much as you'll let anyone take care of you." He shoved off the table and headed for the door. "See ya, Cupcake."

"See you around, Morelli."

Steph waited for Joe to leave the floor before coming out. Ranger was waiting, his eyes concerned. The tension in his shoulders relaxed a little when he saw that her eyes weren't red and puffy. "Babe?" he questioned.

"Let's head back upstairs, Ranger." She smiled broadly at him, a smile that reached her eyes. "Grandma

Bella sent us a message."


	20. Chapter 23

**Family Gathering**

By PTBvisiongrrl

Rating: PG-13 for now (who knows where it will go?)

SPOILERS: none, really

WARNING: No Joe in sight right now

Standard disclaimer: I own nothing, only borrow, play with, and return. Except for Ranger. I'm never giving him back.

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

Stephanie rode the elevator to seven with Ranger staring at her. She knew he was waiting for her to tell him what had happened between her and Morelli, but she decided to let him wonder for a bit. "Joe's Grandma Bella sent me a message. She made him memorize it, so that he wouldn't screw it up."

"What was it?" Ranger asked, reaching out to catch Stephanie's hand just as the doors opened.

Hand in hand, he led her to his door.

"Dark and evil." Stephanie almost bounded past him as he opened the door. "More important, Morelli's getting married," she announced over her shoulder.

Ranger stumbled a minute on the threshold. "What?"

"Not to me, " she smiled at him, the relief of a clean, friendly, and permanent break with Morelli filling her. "He knocked up Karen Gorsky."

"Yeah?" Ranger asked, suddenly a lot less tense.

"Yeah," Stephanie smiled. "We're not invited to the wedding."

"I'm sending a present anyway," Ranger laughed. "So it ended well, then? You don't seem upset-"

Steph turned and faced Ranger. "I told you that it was done with him. Telling _him_ that was just a formality." She stood on her toes and leaned in to Ranger, brushing her lips against his. "You are it for me, mister."

The stunning, 200-watt smile beamed out at her. Wrapping his arm around her, he steered her toward the living room. "So what exactly was Bella's message?" Ranger asked as they entered.

"She said, 'From beneath you, it devours'." Stephanie frowned. "I have no clue what that means-"

"I do," Buffy spoke from her spot on the couch next to a shaky looking Willow.

Ranger and Stephanie were taken a bit by surprise at Buffy and Willow's presence. Ranger recovered before Steph. "Glad to see you up and about. How are you felling, Willow?" he asked, noticing she had dark circles and looker paler than normal.

"I'm okay," Willow gave a half-hearted smile. "Brain is still a little scrambled, I'm afraid, though."

Steph sighed. "Guess you don't remember anything else, then?"

Willow shook her head. "No, sorry."

"S'okay," Steph smiled. "I Saw it, too—and I remember a little."

"Really?" Willow's eyes widened. "What did you see?"

Abuela interrupted. "Before you try and figure out the vague images—Buffy, you recognized the message?"

Buffy took a deep breath. "Yeah. It means the First is back."

"I thought you guys had managed to defeat the First with the slayer spell-"

Willow frowned. "I thought we did. Vanquished it, at least, for a time. The First Evil always comes back. That's why it's-"

"The first," Stephanie finished. "What brought it back so quickly, then?"

"I'm not sure. But it must be tied to your stalker," Willow continued. "If he worships the First, has worshiped it before the battle, the First might have turned to him to bring it back."

Abuela spoke up as well. "And that kind of power might be what is making him so difficult to catch."

Stephanie accepted a coffee mug from Lester, who had emerged from the kitchen with a tray of beverages. She noted that he stopped at Willow's side first, noting how solicitous he was of the young witch. She made bets that if Buffy and Willow hung around for any length of time, Lester would be like a puppy dog following her around. "There was a second part to what she said, though. _The past is a living thing that influences the present. _Any idea about that part?"

No one offered any ideas, before Abuela spoke up. "Perhaps, Stephanie, it is time to talk with your Grandma Mazur about your family heritage."

Ranger could see Stephanie visible pull herself together. "What I saw indicted the Burg. And I am way over due for a family dinner, I guess."

"You aren't going without major back up, Babe. He expects you to go home at some point." Ranger brushed her hair away from her eyes and made full eye contact. "Please?"

_Crap_, Steph thought. I can't fight him on this. AND he said please. "What is major back up?" she asked, already conceding defeat.

Ranger let out an air of relief. "Me, Lester, Buffy, and Willow. Tank and Bobby as back up outside."

Stephanie looked faint. "I'll call my Mom and warn her that I'm bringing an army."

*******

Steph got to ride with just Ranger; she enjoyed the time spent with him, away from all the people who were always around. Not that she didn't want those people around right now—she did have a healthy desire for self-preservation these days—but time alone with Ranger allowed her to see the real man who had hidden from her for so long. "Its nice to be able to just—be here with you. I can almost imagine we're just running some normal skip and not hiding to protect my life."

"Hiding bothers you," Ranger stated. "I know it does. But—"

Steph sighed. "I also know its necessary. I'm not a full-fledged super hero yet, after all," she smiled at Ranger.

Ranger smiled back. "Glad you acknowledge that, Babe."

"Why do you call me babe? You only use my name when you are really pissed, or when we are—"

"Distracted," Ranger finished for her. "Its habit, not using real names."

"Army?" Steph asked.

"Magic," Ranger corrected her. "Real names have too much power to just throw them around."

Steph nodded. She could see Ranger's point, although it would still take time to get used to it. That and a thousand other little tidbits about how magic works. But he had only answered part of her question. "But why Babe? Why not baby? Or something else?"

"You are not a baby, Steph." Ranger spared his eyes from the road to look at her for a moment. "Baby implies that you can't take care of yourself. I never thought that."

"Really?" Steph couldn't help the smile spreading across her face. "But I knew nothing about this job when you met with me!"

"You knew enough to ask for help, and were brave enough to do what you needed to do to survive. You didn't run home, you didn't find some guy to pay your bills. You toughed it out."

The smile was huge. "But then, why not sweetie or honey or something?" she pushed.

"Again, too demeaning. Those are dismissive names." Ranger spared her another look, this one with the beginning of a smile. "A waitress pouring coffee 'huns' you."

The image of Ranger as a diner waitress made Stephanie laugh, as he had intended. "That still doesn't explain 'Babe.'"

Ranger shook his head. "It just seemed right."

Steph ventured into territory she wasn't sure she wanted to go, but was still curious enough to ask about. "Have you ever called anyone else 'Babe', Ranger?"

He laughed. "You have a life long, undeniable bond with me now, and you are jealous of some phantom women in my past?"

Steph crossed her arms and frowned. "I was just asking."

Relenting, Ranger replied quietly. "No, Stephanie. Nobody else. Just you."

"Are you lying?" she barked out, studying him out of the corner of her eye. "I mean, there have to have been hundreds of women…."

"You are great for the ego, Babe," Ranger answered. "And while I will not deny there have been some women, I'd keep it in the double digits."

"Double digits?" Steph's eyes bugged out.

"Less then 20?" Ranger tendered as an answer, eyebrow raised.

Stephanie was quiet for a few minutes, making Ranger nervous. He couldn't tell, for once, what exactly was going through her head. "Is that too many?"

"I, uh," Stephanie shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno. I mean, I know why women want to fall into your bed, Manoso—" she sighed. "But as long as I'm the only one there now, it doesn't matter."

Ranger let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "I'm glad."

"Besides, I've got to assume some of them helped you, ah, refine those magnificent skills some, so I guess I owe them a thanks." The smile was back on Stephanie's face. "So are you ready to deal with my family knowing we are an item?"

"How badly will your mother take this?" Ranger asked, half-concerned and half-amused. This could be an interesting dinner. Or hell, he conceded to himself. It was a fifty-fifty shot most days, leaning towards disaster on any given one.

"I assume she knows Joe is getting married. She didn't bring him up at all on the phone when I talked to her. She didn't even blink when I said I was bringing you. She just said to keep your gun away from Grandma.." Stephanie took Ranger's non-driving hand, studying its unique marks and structure. "So she's probably going to start planning our wedding."

Steph laughed when Ranger visibly paled. "You're joking, right?"

Her infectious laugh bubbled forth. "Once I start asking Slayer questions, she'll probably forget about my unmarried status for a bit."

"I hope so," Ranger stated.


End file.
